A Sugar Rush for Gamers

Chocolate and gaming go well together, as indicated by the number of limited-edition chocolates featuring characters with roots in interactive gaming that have popped up in the last couple of years. The pairings make sense in that chocolate is a popular choice as a snack during gaming sessions, and the products’ collectibility mirrors an element of game play that appeals to fans. 

Nintendo is a frequent player in such partnerships, but other property owners partake as well: 

• Nintendo paired with Ferrero’s Kinder Joy brand for a limited-edition Super Mario Collection of chocolates, with products available from December 2025 to April 2026. Each chocolate egg features one of 26 different Super Mario toys inside, taking the form of 3D figurines, sticky-note holders, mini clips, and other novelties, across a variety of Super Mario characters. The act of discovering the toys in the chocolate is positioned as paralleling the experience of finding hidden bonuses and challenges in the different levels of a video game. 

• In November 2025, Nintendo announced it would be working with Godiva for a limited-edition Valentine’s Day 2026 collaboration in Japan, focused on its Animal Crossing brand. The products, which are available in Godiva’s stores, cafés, and online shop, include tins of different colors, each filled with chocolates featuring the faces of Animal Crossing characters printed in two colors. Each character’s candy has a different flavor profile — including dark and milk chocolate; strawberry- and lemon-filled; chai, Earl Grey, and milk tea-flavored, among others — all tying into a Tea Party theme. Some come in a gift set that includes an Animal Crossing lidded mug or tea mats. Nine-piece tins are available as well. This is a follow-up to Nintendo and Godiva partnerships in recent years that highlighted properties such as Animal Crossing and Pikmin. 

• The Pokémon Company collaborated with Hershey’s in June 2025 for 12 different limited-edition collectible full-size chocolate bars, 18 snack-size bars, and packages of Kisses featuring all 151 Pokémon from the Kanto region of the game on the foil wrappers. The Kanto was the region introduced in the first generation of Pokémon games and includes many of the franchise’s best-known characters. 

• In November 2024, Nintendo announced it was partnering with The Hershey Co. for limited-edition packages of Kit Kat bars, along with Jolly Rancher candies, featuring characters from the games Super Mario Wonder and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The products were promoted as allowing the whole family to snack while playing games together. A sweepstakes accompanied the products. 

• In Japan, Cygames joined forces with Tirol-Choco in early 2024 for a collection of chocolates featuring 40 different characters from Uma Musume Pretty Derby on the wrappers. The collectible range, which was available at 7-Eleven stores in Japan, celebrated the third anniversary of the game. This was the second collaboration between the chocolate brand and this title, which had generated more than 20 million downloads at the time. Tirol-Choco markets fruit-flavored chocolates (500 flavors available) that are cream-filled with a crunch.  

• In an older example, Riot Games teamed with Los Angeles-based chocolate company Compartés back in 2021 for two limited-edition products (retailing for $9.95) tied to the League of Legends franchise. They spotlighted two characters; Jinx appeared on a matcha green tea and strawberry-swirl chocolate, while Vi’s version was dark chocolate with sea salt and 24-karat gold flecks. The products, available on the Compartés website, were timed to the premiere of the LoL anime spin-off TV series Arcane, which features the two characters. 

In a slightly different twist involving a movie rather than a chocolate brand (although there is a Wonka chocolate brand as well), Xbox paired with Warner Bros. in 2023 to create a special console inspired by Wonka and the chocolate store depicted in the film, along with a box of candies containing an edible chocolate controller and five specially developed truffle flavors. The chocolates were created by the film’s official chocolatier, Gabriella Cugno. Consumers entered a sweepstakes to win the grouping.