In this week’s edition of cursed gaming and food crossovers: noodle company Nissin is releasing caffeinated ‘Gaming Cup Noodles’ to keep gamers energised and fed during late night sweaty play sessions.
If the RGB-esque packaging or the fact that they’re Cup Noodles filled with caffeine, arginine (an amino acid), and niacin didn’t sell you, the new flavours exclusive to Japan (for now) are also “soup-free” to avoid any spills on keyboards and controllers, which Nissin says makes them “perfect for a meal in between playing games.” It’s worth noting that, given the additives, this is basically the noodle version of a can of Monster.
The noodles will come in two flavours – garlic and pepper yakisoba, which contains shrimp, pork, egg, and cabbage and is described as having an “addictive taste”, and “energy ginger keema curry”, which contains pork and vegetables.
In a press release (translated by CNN in their report, and an online translator from Japanese), Nissin says the choice to create the caffeinated Cup Noodles was due to meeting demand for a growing population of gamers.
“The gaming population in Japan is growing year by year, especially among young people, and the number is said to have surpassed 50 million,” Nissin said. “To meet this demand, Nissin Foods is launching a new ‘gamer-friendly’ product for the first time in its history from its flagship brands Cup Noodles and Nissin Curry Meshi.”
This isn’t the first time Cup Noodles have crossed over into the world of gaming, having collaborated with Final Fantasy XIV previously with special packaging and a parody trailer. However, it is the first time the brand has dipped into creating a special flavour dedicated to gaming – although the jury’s out on whether caffeinated noodles will taste absolutely rancid or amazing.
Nissin’s Gaming Cup Noodles release in Japan from 18 September, with the yakisoba flavour setting you back 280 yen (about $3AUD) and the curry flavour selling for 298 yen (roughly $3.16AUD). There’s no word yet on whether we might see gamer noodles hit international markets, but there’s likely to be plenty of people importing the Cup Noodles once they launch. Doritos and Mountain Dew can move over as the unofficial gamer snacks, go fast noodles are here and I am so ready.
Lead Image Credit: Nissin
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