Super Bowl halftime show stars and their weird video game adventures

Here’s some fodder for your next trivia night

The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched sports events in the world – thanks to its legendary halftime shows. While football fans certainly enjoy the games and find their excitement in the crowning of a new champion, outside of the US the halftime show is actually the main event.

Containing some of the world’s biggest stars and often creating some outrageously funny acts, The Super Bowl halftime show is something truly special – for those who watch it, and of course also for those performing in it. Looking back at the artists making an appearance at the show in recent history is a great way of traveling through years of pop culture. A culture that includes our own favorite hobby: video games.

So, wouldn’t watching those old halftime shows be even better knowing that the involved artists also had their own video game adventures in the past? Well, we went through the archives and, boy, did we find some fun facts that will make you invincible during your next trivia night.

Super Bowl XXII 1988 – Chubby Checker

The 1988 Super Bowl featured The Rockettes, several marching band performances, and the iconic Chubby Checker. Here’s the Twist: Chubby Checker actually recorded a demo tape, in which he sang a song about Dig Dug, a 1982 arcade game by Namco. The tape surfaced in 2014, as reported by Polygon, and can actually be listened to on SoundCloud even today.

Super Bowl XXV 1991 – New Kids on the Block

The New Kids on the Block were quite popular back in the late ’80s and early ’90s – at least that’s what my parents tell me. Anyways, they nearly were featured in their own video game. According to renowned programmer David Cran (via LostMediaWiki), the game merely got into the early design stage before being canned. However, a prototype box of it exists as physical proof, which was given to Electronic Gaming Magazine and later landed on eBay.

Super Bowl XXVI 1992 – Gloria Estefan

As befits a renowned singer and songwriter, Gloria Estefan is featured on a number of video game soundtracks, including Rocksmith+, Samba De Amigo, Burnout Crash, and SingStar.

Super Bowl XXVII 1993 – Michael Jackson

Well, he hardly needs an introduction, does he? It should also be highlighted that there is an entire Wikipedia page called Michael Jackson in video games, which basically already says everything. Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker released in arcades and several consoles, he was involved in Sonic The Hedgehog 3’s soundtrack, and voiced a character in Space Channel 5.

There was also his release of Michael Jackson: The Experience in 2010, and the planned but never realized MMORPG based on his music, which was supposed to be played in the controversial Entropia Universe.

Super Bowl XXIX 1995 – Indiana Jones

Yes, 1995’s Super Bowl featured an entire performance themed around the Indiana Jones movies, rolling boulder included. There was also an act by Patti LaBelle, but unfortunately for her, she never had anything to do with video games. Indy, though, has been the star of several titles. Hey, are you still reading? Oh, you’re looking for the boulder thing, huh? Here’s a YouTube link.

Super Bowl XXX 1996 – Diana Ross

Another one for the SingStar crowd. Diana Ross’ music has also been featured in Dance Dance Revolution, which has a fun little competitive scene, by the way, and even in Mafia 3.

Super Bowl XXXI 1997 – The Blues Brothers

What didn’t work out for New Kids on the Block worked out spectacularly for The Blues Brothers, who did get their own video game in 1991. It was available on several consoles including the classic Game Boy. ZZ Top also performed in 1997’s show, and they’ve had songs in multiple video game soundtracks.

Super Bowl XXXII 1998 – Boyz II Men

While Queen Latifah also appeared at this Super Bowl halftime show, Boyz II Men really deserve the mention. Aside from SingStar and Dance Dance Revolution appearances, Motownphilly was featured in 2004’s Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. It doesn’t get much more iconic than that.

Super Bowl XXXIII 1999 – Stevie Wonder

No, this isn’t about the debunked Atari endorsement. Stevie Wonder’s music was featured in many games across the board, from SingStar to Guitar Hero, Just Dance to DJ Hero, and a lot more.

Super Bowl XXXIV 2000 – Phil Collins

It’s great that Christina Aguilera and Enrique Iglesias were present, really, but may we steer your focus on Mr. Phil Collins, please? This legend is one of the few artists in world history that can claim three different songs featured in the Grand Theft Auto series.

Super Bowl XXXV 2001 – Aerosmith

Aerosmith wasn’t just featured in a game – they got an entire video game in their honor. Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, was launched in 2008 and celebrated the band’s music.

Super Bowl XXXVI 2002 – U2

Well, this is a bit of a step down from Aerosmith, I’m afraid to say. U2 had songs in Rock Band, SingStar, and a few other titles, but not Guitar Hero.

Super Bowl XXXVII 2003 – Shania Twain

No Doubt we fooled you on this one. They’re a great band and some of their songs are featured in video games, Shania Twain did not simply have her music included on a soundtrack, she made a guest appearance in the mobile game Home Street in 2017. We’re trusting AP on this one.

Super Bowl XXXVIII 2004 – Nelly

2004’s Super Bowl halftime show featured a stacked lineup, and P. Diddy, Kid Rock, and Janet Jackson all have songs with video game connections. More importantly though, rapper Nelly actually starred in NBA Street Vol. 2 as a playable character. He also sang a rendition of Hot in Here in Simlish (yes, that’s the language’s official name) for The Sims.

Super Bowl XXXIX 2005 – Paul McCartney

One of the founding members of The Beatles, Paul McCartney has had his music featured in countless games, but the most important is easily The Beatles: Rock Band. That’s really up there with Aerosmith. Please don’t hurt us for this, music fans.

Super Bowl XL 2006 – The Rolling Stones

Took them a while to show up here, huh? The Rolling Stones have been featured in the likes of Guitar Hero, Mafia 3, Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, Rocksmith, Tony Hawk, MLB The Show, and more, as befits their greatness.

Super Bowl XLI 2007 – Prince

Prince Interactive is a 1994 game for Windows 3.1 and Mac OS that featured previously unreleased songs, full-length music videos, a mixing board, and more – they don’t make titles like these anymore, do they?

Super Bowl XLII 2008 – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

We’re getting into the modern era now. You know why? Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were featured in DLC for Rock Band 2, which added 14 of their songs to the game. Microtransactions, baby!

Super Bowl XLIII 2009 – Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

More glorious DLC! Springsteen and the E Street Band had some songs added to Guitar Hero: World Tour in a DLC pack that launched alongside the album Working on a Dream. We’re even doing cross-media marketing now.

Super Bowl XLIV 2010 – The Who

The Hu would have been correct as well, but America may not be ready for that just yet. The Who, on the other hand, was a well-known and safe choice. They have songs included in the now familiar lineup of games, such as Grand Theft Auto, Sleeping Dogs, Need For Speed, Rock Band, Rocksmith, and more.

Super Bowl XLV 2011 – The Black Eyed Peas

The Black Eyed Peas are another group with some Simlish songs in their discography, but more importantly, they are featured in their own game, which is called The Black Eyed Peas Experience. While the Nintendo Wii edition of the game was basically a Just Dance clone, the Kinect edition tried to teach players something about choreography. The Urbz: Sims in the City even featured them as characters.

Super Bowl XLVI 2012 – Madonna

Madonna’s music has been in a variety of games, including 2020’s Sackboy: A Big Adventure, but that’s not the interesting part, so let’s talk about Vigilante instead. Vigilante is a 1988 arcade game developed by Irem – a classic beat ‘em up where you fight against The Skinheads to save the blonde-haired Madonna. While we can’t guarantee the damsel in distress was based on Madonna the artist, her in-game name was later changed for the Sega home console ports, so someone was clearly concerned about there being too much of a resemblance.

Super Bowl XLVII 2013 – Beyoncé

Back in 2013, Beyoncé settled a lawsuit with game developer Gate Five after she pulled out of a partnership. Interestingly, it’s a struggle to find any other info online about Gate Five. The lesson here is to never fight Beyoncé on anything. In addition to that, there was a Beyoncé-inspired game called Lemonade Rage in 2017. Naturally, her work has also been featured in a great many video games over the years.

Super Bowl XLVIII 2014 – Bruno Mars

Oh boy, here we go. We’re in the Fortnite era. While his music is present in some other games, Bruno Mars’ biggest video game feature is in Fortnite. Mars’ group Silk Sonic had skins designed by the duo in the game, as well as characters that look just like Mars and his bandmate Anderson Paak.

Super Bowl XLIX 2015 – Katy Perry

Katy Perry created a music video celebrating Pokémon, which makes her a wonderful human being. On a more interesting note, though, she launched a video game alongside one of her albums, Smile. Sadly, Katy’s Quest is no longer available to play anywhere, but you can still see it in Katy Perry’s tweet from the release.

Super Bowl L/50 2016 – Coldplay

In late 2021 Coldplay and South Korean boy band BTS teamed up for the single My Universe, which you may have already heard. But what you might’ve missed is that a video game based on the universe seen in the music video was released, titled Supernova 7. That one, at least at the time of writing, is still playable.

Super Bowl LI 2017 – Lady Gaga

The Just Dance game series debuted only a year after Lady Gaga’s song of the same name. Make of that what you will. In addition to being featured in that same series with her music, Lady Gaga is actually a gamer herself, playing Bayonetta – the most perfect fit for her.

Super Bowl LII 2018 – Justin Timberlake

Timberlake was part of the The Black Eyed Peas Experience mentioned earlier, and was also featured in Dance Dance Revolution, Just Dance, Fuser, Beatstar, and more.

Super Bowl LIII 2019 – Maroon 5

Maroon 5 have probably collaborated with video game studios the most out of any artist on this list – dozens of their songs are featured on game soundtracks. You won’t find a music game without at least one of their tracks being present.

Super Bowl LIV 2020 – Shakira and Jennifer Lopez

Funnily enough, both of these top stars have their own video games. Shakira had a game called Love Rocks Starring Shakira made by Rovio, the Angry Birds creators. Sadly, that one’s gone. Jennifer Lopez is featured in her own game, Hit Play, which was released in 2021, and starred in ads for Coin Master. They also have the usual list of music game appearances.

Super Bowl LV 2021 – The Weeknd

The Weeknd is another artist that has had a strong presence in video games for years now, and can boast ten songs featured in rhythm game Beat Saber.

Super Bowl LVI 2022 – Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre

Super Bowl LVI had a star-studded line up in its halftime show – that includes their video game presence. Dr. Dre and Eminem starred in GTA Online expansion The Contract, debuting a new song in the game. On top of that, Eminem was offered to star in a GTA movie back in the day.

Snoop Dogg is a playable character in Def Jam: Fight for NY and worked on Riders on the Storm with The Doors for Need for Speed: Underground 2. Yeah, a classic.

Now, don’t get freaked out, but here’s where it gets really weird: Eminem worked on 50 Cent: Bulletproof and provided some consultancy for DJ Hero. Oh, and here’s the strangest one:

Quake 3: Arena – Dr. Dre & Eminem level and models. Yeah, Interscope Records released an official custom Dre and Eminem Quake 3 Arena level, with models of the artists that players could use.

Super Bowl LVII 2023 – Rihanna

Rihanna’s brand Fenty Beauty collaborated with Riot Games in 2021 to coincide with the release of Netflix’s Arcane show, which is set in the Runeterra universe. That’s the setting of League of Legends. Fenty Beauty consulted on many of the makeup and design choices in both the series and game.

Check out SI.com for more Super Bowl LVII coverage.