CHEETOS® MAKES MISCHIEF IN THE METAVERSE WITH THE LAUNCH OF HALLOWEEN-THEMED CHESTERVILLE

For its first trip to the metaverse, Cheetos gives fans the chance to "resurrect" a favorite flavor for a limited time

PLANO, Texas, Oct. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- After many years of instigating mischief in the real world, Chester Cheetah and Cheetos^® are taking their antics to virtual reality this Halloween. Cheetos today unveiled Chesterville, a new, digital suburban neighborhood unlike any place – real or virtual – Cheetos fans have visited before. Riddled with all sorts of tricks and a chance to bring a flavor back to life in the real world, Chesterville is the first venture into virtual reality for both Cheetos and the iconic Frito-Lay^® snack portfolio.

Set inside Meta Horizon Worlds, Chesterville is a mischief-maker's dream: a place to embrace their inner Chester Cheetah, ditch the standard trick-or-treating and stir up some Halloween mischief. Players are challenged to complete tasks around Chesterville, with some mischievous tools, to help them earn points on their "mischief meter."

"As a culture-first brand committed to innovative consumer experiences, Cheetos is proud to lead Frito-Lay into the metaverse," said Stacy Taffet, senior vice president of marketing for Frito-Lay. "This is a significant moment for both the brand and the portfolio as we broaden the ways we engage with fans, inviting them to experience Cheetos in an entirely new way. We can't wait to welcome consumers into Chester's virtual domain that brings his personality and Cheetos' brand ethos to life."

The goal is to gain access to the spooky mansion that looms atop Cheetos Hill. Once inside the mansion, fans get to unlock the most intriguing part of Chesterville: a chance to vote for their favorite "ghost of Cheetos' past" and help bring a no-longer-available flavor back to life in the real world. Fans will choose from one of three favorite flavors to resurrect for a limited run: Cheetos Flamin' Hot Chipotle Ranch, Cheetos Flamin' Hot Pepper Puffs, or Cheetos Nashville Hot snacks.

Cheetos lovers outside the digital realm won't be left out of the fun. Launching alongside Chesterville, Cheetos is calling on fans to share their flavor pick at CheetosChesterville.com beginning October 23, 2022 through November 2, 2022. Cheetos will announce the winning flavor on social media before it reappears in the real world in early 2023, for a limited time to those who participate.

Fans can also keep the fun going beyond Chesterville by enjoying the new Cheetos Mac 'N Cheese Box of Bones, a frightfully cheesy twist on the brand's regular mac that's available for a limited time this fall. Visit CheetosMacNCheeseCostume.com between October 20, 2022 and October 24, 2022 to find out how Cheetos fans can enter for a chance to win a Box of Bones-inspired costume.

Once players enter Chesterville, they can choose to roam the spooky neighborhood or – if they dare – opt in to play a game, access the spooky mansion, and vote to bring back a flavor from the dead. Chesterville-goers will find many opportunities to stir up mischief and rack up points. They'll have access to a stash of Cheetos Mischief Makers to help conquer challenges and raise their mischief meter score. Cheetos Mischief Makers include:

• Chester's Wand to brand the neighborhood.
  
  
• Cheetle-fied Paper Towels to go TP'ing Chester-style.
  
  
• Flamin' Hot Cheetos to get a speed boost with the Flamin' Hot Cheetos accelerator.
  
  
• Mac-O-Lanterns to smash and trap other players in cheesy blobs of new Cheetos Mac 'N Cheese.

Cheetos' Mischief Makers aren't the only way to cause mischief in Chesterville. Users can unlock Cheetle Codes from Cheetos' social media to discover more ways to help them advance in the game.

Meta Horizon Worlds is a free social experience that allows people to explore, play and connect in new and extraordinary ways with immersive VR. Users can discover new places with friends, compete in action-packed games and interactive experiences and design worlds of their own or be inspired by others.

"Forward-thinking brands are beginning to build immersive experiences and we're thrilled that Cheetos is leading the pack with their launch of Chesterville, their first-ever virtual reality experience in Meta Horizon Worlds," said Nada Stirratt, vice president, global business group at Meta. "It's exciting to see such an iconic brand use our platforms to experiment and connect with consumers in new, innovative ways. We can't wait to see how users everywhere embrace their inner Chester Cheetah this Halloween and beyond."

Users can experience Chesterville in Meta Horizon Worlds on Meta Quest 2. For more information and to stay updated on Chesterville, visit CheetosChesterville.com.

Cheetos is one of the many brands that make up Frito-Lay North America, the $19 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, www.fritolay.com, the Snack Chat blog, www.snacks.com and on Twitter www.twitter.com/fritolay.

Frito-Lay North America is the $19 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Frito-Lay snacks include Lay's and Ruffles potato chips, Doritos tortilla chips, Cheetos snacks, Tostitos tortilla chips and branded dips, SunChips multigrain snacks and Fritos corn chips. The company operates 30+ manufacturing facilities across the U.S. and Canada, more than 200 distribution centers and services 315,000 retail customers per week through its direct-store-delivery model. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, www.fritolay.com, on Twitter (@fritolay), on Instagram (@fritolay) and on Facebook (Frito-Lay).

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $79 billion in net revenue in 2021, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with PepsiCo Positive (pep+). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.

SOURCE Frito-Lay North America