The 45th Anniversary of one of the oldest franchises, Pac-Man, marks an inarguably huge collaboration that has briefly transformed the Google search page. As of October 30, any user visiting Google’s homepage will be treated to a limited-time playable Google Doodle featuring the yellow icon. But this is more than just a new skin; it has four maze levels from the past and four entirely new “haunted house” mazes invented for this celebration by creative teams at Google and Bandai Namco. This ensures that both nostalgic fans and new players have something fresh to interact with and celebrate nearly five decades of this cultural phenomenon.
The Google collaboration is just one leg of Bandai Namco’s mammoth 45th-anniversary campaign, which is a testament to the character’s compelling presence across various consumer landscapes. Earlier in the year, the company blended gaming nostalgia with sugar delight when it collaborated with Krispy Kreme to produce a line of Pac-Man donuts. In the automotive realm, Bandai Namco brought Pac-Man Championship Edition to life in select 2025 Volkswagens through the embedded AirConsole application. This varied promotional approach reflects the case that the Pac-Man brand is a highly distinctive presence as a cross-media icon, a legacy developed immediately after its 1980 release, which, fame-based, turned the world into a “Pac-Man Fever” of arcade and pop culture.
The far-reaching celebrations would not have been what they are had not core video games themselves received considerable additions or alterations. The platforming spin-off series was modernized this year with the release of Pac-Man World 2: Re-Pac, a complete re-imagining of the classic second entry with newly up-to-date stages and mechanics. At the same time, Bandai Namco has presented Shadow Labyrinth, an ambitious action-adventure title that re-contextualizes the core Pac-Man mechanic within with a much darker narrative-driven scheme. The titles showcase the developer’s interests in modifying the basic mechanics and highlight how Pac-Man is able to go beyond its groundbreaking maze genre into modern frontiers saturated with 3D platformers and regular appearances in fighting franchises such as Super Smash Bros.
Few video game characters have ever managed to attain the extent of worldwide recognition and sustained commercial relevance that Pac-Man enjoys today. The franchises’ 45th year is not just the celebration of its storied past but a sustained rendezvous of its liveliness by means of publicly acclaimed collaboration tools like the Google Doodle and further significant developments at the software entrance. Bandai Namco is ensuring that memories of the yellow maze-eater are kept alive for a new generation; not just as giant relics etched in arcade history, but as living, breathing spirits of entertainment in today’s landscape.
