Starting in 2007, Microsoft partnered with the Pepsi-Cola company for the release of each Halo game. Pepsi released Mountain Dew products cross-promoting the latest Halo game, leading to myriad jokes online about video game players eating Doritos and drinking Mountain Dew. That partnership ended with the release of Halo 5, as Microsoft instead partnered with Monster Beverage, making Monster Energy drinks the official drink of Halo. Halo and caffeinated beverage fans alike have been anxiously awaiting Microsoft's drink decision for Halo Infinite.
That decision has now been made official. The bad news is that Microsoft will not be partnering with Pepsi-Cola again for Halo Infinite, and there will be no Halo Infinite-branded Mountain Dew Gamer Fuel. The good news is that Microsoft does have another drink of choice for gamers to drink, as it's now confirmed that Halo and Monster Energy are reinvigorating their relationship.
The confirmation comes via a leak from Derick Hunter on Facebook, shared via the HaloCollector Twitter account. HaloCollector shared Hunter's picture of a Monster Energy can featuring branding for Halo Infinite. The can tells buyers to save their receipt and visit MonsterEnergy.com to unlock "2XP," a double experience points promotion. It'll be a limited-time promotion that expires at the end of 2020.
The legacy of Halo partnering with Mountain Dew is a long and rich one. It started with Halo 3 for the limited edition Game Fuel, which flavored with a "blast of citrus and cherry." It continued through Halo ODST, Halo Reach, and even Halo 4. At some point, it went awry, with Mountain Dew partnering with PlayStation titles or games with PlayStation-exclusive advertising including Warframe and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.
Mountain Dew's loss was Monster Energy's gain, as Halo 5 was the first title to partner with Monster for its new promotion. Players could buy Monster Energy drinks to earn free Halo 5 REQ packs. Instead of Mountain Dew and Doritos, it became Monster Energy and Hot Pockets. And, at least with regards to Monster Energy, Halo Infinite appears to be continuing the tradition of Halo 5.
In the end, it's just a silly promotion. Halo Infinite will hopefully be a great game and a Monster Energy purchase won't have anything to do with that. Nevertheless, it is fun to consider the ways video games cross over into pop culture and how online culture grows out of that. Mountain Dew's loss is Monster Energy's gain.
Halo Infinite releases this holiday on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.