Video game branding with real-world objects and foodstuffs is not a new phenomenon, be they games like Call of Duty or Titanfall showing up on Mountain Dew cans or entirely standalone products like the Super Mario Cereal released alongside 2017's Super Mario Odyssey. However, sometimes more unexpected ideas come out of the woodwork, such as a new collection of sake alcoholic beverages that will be releasing in Japan based on Taito's 1978 arcade game Space Invaders.
There will be three kinds of Space Invaders Sake available in Japan from the Masuda Tokubee Shoten brewery in Kyoto according to Famitsu: A pure rice junta, a pure rice junta ginjo, and a pure rice junta daiginjo. The brewery has an entire line of "Game Legends" sake according to Kotaku, which includes representation from other arcade classics like Pac-Man, more modern titles like Yakuza, and entire companies; including a celebration of Sega for its 60th anniversary.
Each bottle of the Space Invaders-branded sake will cost 3,000 yen, or approximately $28 in the States. That price point actually makes the alcohol considerably cheaper than other somewhat bizarre Japanese video game-branded products, such as a set of perfumes based on Atlus' Persona series being sold by Primaniacs for around $50 each.
Despite it being a foundational arcade title in the history of video games, Space Invaders has had more of an odd presence in modern-day popular culture compared to other mainstays like Pac-Man. For example, last year a Space Invaders movie was in the works that apparently had Greg Russo, screenwriter for the upcoming Mortal Kombat movie, attached as a writer.
Arcade games, in general, do still capture the public's imagination, however. Atari revealed a new console called the Ataribox in 2017 that went on to raise over $3 million through an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. That console, now called the Atari VCS, should begin shipping this month, and comes packaged with the ability to play classic Atari arcade titles as well as stream services like Netflix and games such as Celeste and Call of Duty: Warzone.
These kinds of solutions are great as real-world arcades struggle more than ever due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. For those who really appreciate that period in video game history, or simply enjoy downing a few drinks as they play, the Space Invaders sake certainly seem like they could be a fun choice to fill a few nights of classic arcade gaming.