The biggest sporting event of the year – Super Bowl LVI – happened early on into 2022, and with plenty of fans sitting at home watching from their TVs or computers, video games made their appearances. Here are all the gaming related news and references that popped up during the big game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Respect and references
Just before the game started, the Super Bowl honored a popular figure that recently passed away. John Madden, legendary NFL coach, commentator and video game icon from the Madden NFL series, died on Dec. 28, 2021. His family, including his sons Mike and Joe Madden, appeared before the crowd to applause and respect for their late relative.
Paying tribute to the legendary John Madden#SBLVI | #IrishNFLShow pic.twitter.com/VmFVoNQZ7l
— The Irish NFL Show (@IreNFL) February 13, 2022
Not too long afterwards, popular FIFA streamer Edwin “Castro1021” Castro had a cameo in a McDonalds ad. He wasn’t alone, as Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) also made a guest appearance.
I can’t believe I’m tweeting this…….
But uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…
I AM IN A @McDonalds COMMERCIAL! pic.twitter.com/620ybfcz30
— Castro1021 (@Castro1021) February 13, 2022
On Twitter, a current NFL pro and signed Rocket League player weighed in on the game. Dignitas and Philadelphia Eagles player Boston Scott tweeted his support for Trent Taylor on the Bengals.
Let’s go @Trent5Taylor !!
— DIG B0ston. (@BostonScott2) February 13, 2022
Evil Geniuses’ partnership with Bud Light Next meant their Super Bowl commercial had a special contest for fans to participate in. On Friday, Evil Geniuses announced that the first five people to take a picture of EG logo in the Super Bowl Bud Light commercial and tag the team on Twitter would win jerseys.
EG will debut during the big game tomorrow in the latest @budlight commercial for #BudLightNext!
The first 5️⃣ people to take a picture of the logo on the screen and tag us will win.
Simple right?
Good luck, we will be watching… 👀 pic.twitter.com/h7GotWgVnR
— Evil Geniuses (@EvilGeniuses) February 13, 2022
During the game itself, there weren’t many direct video game references, as football was on full display. There were some funny moments that reminded fans of Warzone though, as Joe Burrow slid into a first down.
IRL slide cancel pic.twitter.com/oUoaGPBjnu
— CharlieIntel (@charlieINTEL) February 14, 2022
And even during their own leagues, fans from other sports and esports were tuning in to see who would win. One of the best examples was Cloud9, who have a Halo Infinite team competing in the Halo Championship Series Anaheim 2022 at the same time. While their team was reaching the finals in their game, the players just wanted to watch Super Bowl LVI.
you know the vibes https://t.co/leUd5KU1L1 pic.twitter.com/sCoU5B0tvb
— Cloud9 (@Cloud9) February 14, 2022
