Exient has announced it has expanded its deal with pizza specialist Papa John's to allow players of iPhone title Papa's Pizzeria to win free food from the restaurant chain.

Consumers in the UK who pick up the title, which is released under Exient's X2 label, will be rewarded with a discount off their first pizza order – which can actually be made from the app itself.

Continued play will offer similar rewards. Players who reach level 3 will be eligible for a free desert when any pizza is ordered, those who make level 10 also able to pick up a free medium pizza when another is purchased.

Pizzas win prizes

For the committed, reaching level 15 will proffer a £5 off voucher when a minimum spend of £25 is met. As a final reward, getting all the way to level 20 will unlock a free medium pizza from the chain, without any other purchase needing to be made.

"It was very important to us that Papa's Pizzeria delivered on the consumer experience people have come to expect when dealing with Papa John's, and by having these real world redemption offers in the game we think we’ve achieved that," says Exient CEO David Hawkins.

"The idea of in-game currency isn’t new, but the chance to actually redeem against something tangible is certainly something different for the iPhone market, and offers a unique way for brands to interact with their consumer base."

The deal follows an initial link-up made back in January, where the two parties revealed Papa's Pizzeria would promote the Papa John's brand in-game, in return for the chain marketing the game in its outlets.