Can You Run a Dairy Queen?

Ever since Mark Cuban quipped that “Ed Rush might have been a great ref, but I wouldn’t hire him to run a Dairy Queen,” managing a Dairy Queen store has become a gauge of business acumen.

Cuban accepted the challenge to run a Dairy Queen store for a day and now you too can test your skills at DQ management with the launch of DQ Tycoon which hits store shelves nationally at Target Stores today, retailing for $19.99. The announcement of the new game comes just in time for the holiday season and was created by Minneapolis-based GameMill Entertainment and Spark Plug Games in close partnership with American Dairy Queen Corporation.

Also available for purchase online through Big Fish Games, DQ Tycoon will be included in the Scholastic Inc. January catalog which is distributed to nearly every school in the country.

“We are excited about DQ Tycoon, as it is a way for us to reach out to our fans and to consumers in a new, fun way,” says Tim Hawley, vice president of marketing, communications for American Dairy Queen Corporation. “This is a great last minute gift idea, particularly for video game fans.”

DQ Tycoon is one of the first PC time-management games to have a strong brand behind it. Throughout the game, players will create Blizzard Flavor Treats, serve Dilly Bars, and decorate the popular DQ Cakes. After store hours, players will manage the operation of up to four DQ stores, upgrading machines, managing staff, and keeping business running smoothly.

“Our goal was to create an entertaining game that also embraces the rich history of Dairy Queen and its place within the community,” says Brian Kirkvold, executive producer for GameMill Entertainment.

“In addition to the great excuse to visit our local Dairy Queen store for research purposes, it is fantastic to be working on a strong brand that is recognized for its community involvement,” says John O’Neill, president of Spark Plug Games. “We are building a product that represents our passion to build entertaining games for the mass market.”

Although DQ Tycoon is rated E (for everyone), the game is equally fun for adults. According to Pew Research, “more than half of Americans age 18 and older (53 percent) play video games and about one-in-five (21 percent) play everyday or almost everyday.”

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