Coke's Pixel-Flavored Soda Now On Sale

Coca-Cola's much-hyped new "pixel-flavored" soda, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Byte, is now on sale in US markets as of today, May 2nd. Coke is using Zero Sugar Byte as a way to both appeal to gamers and test the waters of product marketing and launch within the metaverse. The new flavor was first hyped in the Fortnite video game back in March, being offered on an island location of the game called "Pixel Point" before it was ever available to taste in the real world. And speaking of the taste: the actual flavor of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Byte is still the biggest mystery about this new flavor. 

 "Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Byte makes the intangible taste of the pixel tangible," Oana Vlad, senior director of strategy at Coca-Cola, previously explained to CNN. It's "the Coca-Cola taste you know and love with bright elements upfront and refreshing with the finish... We believe it's important to be present in the spaces where gamers play. Coca-Cola has long supported the gaming community."

Official promotional materials from Coca-Cola ad that Zero Sugar Byte is  "an innovative taste inspired by the playfulness of pixels, rooted in the experiences that gaming makes possible... The drink's bright, upfront taste is reminiscent of powering up a game, and its refreshing finish makes for a perfect gaming companion."

So, from all of that we can surmise that it will take actual consumer word-of-mouth and social media buzz to actually get an answer to the biggest question still looming: is Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Byte actually worth drinking? 

Zero Sugar Byte is the second new flavor launch by Coca-Cola Creations, the division responsible for coming up with innovative and marketable flavors for the company. To mix the worlds of gaming and IRL, Coke will be selling physical cans of Zero Sugar Byte with pixelated labels, which will give gamers smartphone access to augmented reality games. The product will also come with other "immersive digital experiences:

Fortnite's Pixel Point: "An Island Created in Fortnite Creative designed by Coca-Cola and lifestyle and gaming organization PWR." Players can "discover Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Byte in the metaverse and interact with fellow gamers through a series of four sensory-inspired, multiplayer mini-games (The Castle, The Escape, The Race, and The Tower). Each immersive room poses its own challenge that can only be solved by working in tandem with fellow players to progress up the tower."

Augmented Reality Gamed: Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Byte cans with pixilated labels give gamers smartphone access to a game about "the story of BYTE, an 8-bit pixel left behind when Coca-Cola Byte entered the metaverse."

Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Byte is now available to purchase online (while supplies last). It will cost $15 for a two-pack in US markets, and only the zero sugar version will be available.