Metaphor: ReFantazio Is Getting Repped at the F1 Grand Prix this Weekend

Remember when we thought Ariana Grande being a playable character in a Final Fantasy game was the most out-of-left-field collaboration ever? Well, this doesn’t top that, but it sure does come close. Atlus has just announced a one-race partnership between Metaphor: ReFantazio and the MoneyGram Haas F1 team.

During the F1 Grand Prix happening in Singapore this week, the protagonist and Hulkenberg from Metaphor: ReFantazio will be featured on two MoneyGram Haas race cars. The protagonist and game logo will be adorned on the top nose of Kevin Magnussen’s car, while Hulkenberg will be featured on, uh, Nico Hulkenberg’s car. Atlus tells us there is no relation between the two.

Here’s a statement from the racers and Atlus regarding the collaboration:

“Overcoming fear and anxiety is a central theme in Metaphor: ReFantazio, and being featured on the racecars of Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen—drivers known for defying the impossible—perfectly mirrors our game, where players beat the odds in their chase for the crown in the Royal Tournament,” said Irvin Ducournau, Director of Marketing at ATLUS. “Partnering with MoneyGram Haas F1 Team ahead of the Singapore GP is a natural fit, as the high-stakes nature of Formula 1 aligns seamlessly with the competitive election mechanic in the game, where players gain followers in their own race for victory.” “We’re incredibly grateful to MoneyGram Haas F1 Team for this collaboration and wish Nico and Kevin the best of luck in the upcoming race in Singapore.”

This collaboration actually makes sense, in a small way. Metaphor‘s story centers around a group of misfits in a popularity race to win the throne of Euchronia, while the F1 race is, well, a race. So hey, I could see it. And if nothing else, F1 fans who also happen to be into Atlus RPGs will at least have something to look forward to during the race this weekend.

This partnership will last only for one race, and I don’t know about you, but personally, as someone who’s never cared about F1, I’ll certainly be rooting for the cars with the video game anime characters on them.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is set to be released for consoles and PC on Oct. 11.