The 2025 Super Bowl has just wrapped up, featuring a halftime performance by West Coast rapper Kendrick Lamar that included a clear nod to PlayStation. America’s most iconic sporting event is known for its epic halftime shows, rolling out the superstars of music, from Prince and The Rolling Stones to Beyonce and U2. However, the NFL season’s biggest game rarely crosses paths with video game giants like PlayStation, aside from the odd Super Bowl commercial.
This year's championship game featured a rematch of the 2023 Super Bowl, with the Philadelphia Eagles facing off against the Kansas City Chiefs. It also marked the latest connection between PlayStation and the NFL event. In 2013, PlayStation reportedly spent $4 million on a Super Bowl commercial for God of War: Ascension, and 10 years later, in 2023, Sony launched its promotional campaign for God of War Ragnarok during Super Bowl 57. Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance featured a stage designed to resemble the PlayStation controller buttons, as pointed out by Radec on Twitter. During the show, Lamar also declared “game over,” which many people believe was in reference to his ongoing beef with Canadian rapper Drake. It remains unclear whether PlayStation was directly involved in the stunt or even aware that its classic controller setup would feature as part of the act. Kendrick Lamar has been feuding with Canadian rapper Drake since 2013, when Lamar took shots at Drake on Big Sean’s track “Control.” Over the years, their rivalry escalated, and in 2024, Lamar released “Not Like Us,” which led Drake to sue Universal Music Group over its lyrics. Additionally, the song was addressed by Drake on xQc’s stream on Kick, calling the statements made in the diss track “a fairytale.”
For many of the millions watching, Lamar’s performance was seen to be a victory lap for the legendary West Coast rapper. Beyond music, he has also expanded into film. Lamar has teamed up with South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone to produce a live-action comedy for Paramount, slated for release in 2025.
The unexpected PlayStation tribute on sports' biggest stage came just a day after a major PlayStation Network outage, which disrupted online access for gamers from February 7 to February 8. Whether this marks the final chapter in the ongoing Lamar-Drake feud remains to be seen. However, for many PlayStation fans, the rapper’s nod to the gaming giant was a fun highlight of the iconic halftime show.