Jack in the Box Launches First AI Game You Can Actually Eat

Jack in the Box is unlocking a new world of value. This isn’t just another LTO launch or low-priced deal. This is DealQuest – a choose your own adventure game inside the Jack app, where the menu comes to life, and players unlock codes to purchase the seasonal Monster Munchie Meals and classic Jack in the Box favourites they just battled.

Bringing customised QSR marketing to life at a scale never before possible, DealQuest: Revenge of the Munchies is powered by AI, allowing each player to craft their own dynamic adventures and encounter a unique, gamified brand experience that generates real value in every playthrough.

In the game, DealQuest players will meet Jack in a Jack in the Box restaurant where something is amiss. In a witty, apocalyptic twist, they’ll soon find themselves teaming up with Jack to defeat a legion of evil ‘AI Munchie Meals’ that bite back.

As players type actions, questions and decisions that progress their unique game storyline, they will interact with real menu items and discover deal codes to redeem for real Jack foods.

The deeper they go into the adventure, the better the meal deals. Some may even have the chance to win high-value prizes including gaming PCs and the latest consoles.

Entirely re-playable, DealQuest acts as a living campaign that turns the Jack app into a place of brand connection and co-creation where story, fandom, and sales collide. The game has moved value from the transactional to the experiential.

“We built this entirely in-house at TBWA\Chiat\Day LA through our innovation arm, in collaboration with Jack’s development team, DGX,” said Nat Wilkes, creative technologist at TBWA\Chiat\Day LA “We utilised OpenAI’s systems to push the limits of what AI can do today and pioneered a new type of gaming experience in the mobile app. Our AI doesn’t just generate text - it drives the entire experience, powering the characters, background graphics, story, and even the hidden side discoveries that players can uncover along the way.”

“The future of fast food isn’t just about what you order, it’s about how you experience it,” said Ryan Ostrom, Jack in the Box EVP, chief customer and digital officer. “With DealQuest, we’re pushing the boundaries of what a fast food in-app experience should
look like by fusing AI, gaming, and storytelling to make the Jack app more immersive, personalized, and fun. It’s a taste of where we’re headed: a digital ecosystem where great food, craveable deals, and unforgettable experiences come together, and the deeper
you go, the more you unlock.”

Competitors in the QSR space have long relied on low price points that consume value messaging in a race to the bottom. Consumers know what to expect: interchangeable deals, limited menus and fleeting brand connections.

Having witnessed the conventions that reduce value to dollars, TBWA/Chiat/Day LA leveraged the insight that guests are '184% more likely to proceed to checkout' from gamified experiences and mapped the entire customer experience to mine for opportunities where value could be reimagined as something customers look forward to.

“We know low prices are crucial to proving value to customers,” said Kat Lynch, associate strategy director at TBWA\Chiat\Day LA. “Jack’s got that, but we also know, anyone can match a deal. This was an exercise in re-wrapping our existing deals and touchpoints to create something unforgettable – where deals are just as memorable as our brand.”

Created in partnership with creative agency TBWA\Chiat\Day LA, DealQuest will be live for the month of October with promotional campaign rollouts focused on social platforms, mobile sites and apps that meet gaming audiences where they come to play.

Jack in the Box has previously dominated spooky season with Hollywood-calibre storytelling in the horror short, 'Feeding Time,' valuable entertainment that spotlighted Jack’s seasonal Monster Tacos to the delight of hungry horror fans. To leverage the brand’s late-night appeal and bring gamers into the fold, the brand also recently completed a dynamic T-Pain x Fortnite collaboration, 'Zone Wars,' on Twitch, boosting the value of Munchie Meals through authentic streamer community engagement.

DealQuest is the latest of Jack in the Box’s sharp strategic plays to win not just transactional customers, but fans. In collaboration with TBWA\Chiat\Day LA, the brand has redefined how it connects with audiences, blending storytelling, gaming, and brand engagement in ways that deeply resonate with the subcultures that intersect with the brand’s late-night sweet spot: gamers and horror fans.