Pac-Man joins stay-at-home movement with fortnight-long giveaway

Bandai Namco’s most famous video game character, Pac-Man, is now part of the home isolation initiative.

The iconic video game company is giving away “Pac-Man: Championship Edition 2” for free for PlayStation 4 on the PlayStation Network Store, Xbox One on the Microsoft Store and Xbox Marketplace and Windows PC on the Steam Store.

Bandai Namco presented the giveaway under an amended corporate slogan “More Fun for Everyone – at Home.”

“We would like to thank everyone for their individual contributions by staying home to help flatten the curve and keep everyone’s livelihood safe and secure,” the company said in a statement accompanying the offer.

“We would also like to express our most sincere gratitude for those working in the medical field who are on the front lines facing the daunting task of keeping the pandemic under control.”

Released in 2016, “Championship Edition 2” didn’t hit the heights of 2010’s unexpectedly excellent “Championship Edition DX,” but it retains the pulsating neon makeover of its forerunner and is decent fun in its own right.

Like PlayStation’s giveaway of two other tentpole titles—the first three games in the “Uncharted” saga (as “The Nathan Drake Collection”) and wilderness to paradise adventure “Journey”—the offer is good until early May: in this case, May 10.

Eagle-eyed gaming fans had noticed “Pac-Man: Championships Edition 2” reduced to free on some PlayStation Network storefronts earlier in the week, though as standard pricing was swiftly restored, the temporary change was assumed to have been made in error.

Instead, the giveaway was intended to go live from 10 a.m. Pacific Time on April 24, as Bandai Namco later confirmed via official channels. CL /ra

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