Esports fanatics claim to “eat, sleep, and breath” competitive gaming. Well, until recently, the “eating” portion of that fandom was largely metaphorical.
Fortunately for Swedish gaming enthusiasts, that metaphor just became a little more real. Starting in Summer of this year, McDonald’s will offer the McFragbite and McHeaton burgers to hungry patrons, in honor of two of the country’s most prolific gaming names.
Both burgers are limited-run custom creations voted upon by the public from a pool of entrants. The burgers are set to debut later this year, with unique toppings and a history to boot.
The McHeaton honors legendary Counter-Strike player Emil Christensen, a member of the original Ninjas in Pyjamas roster of 2001 and linchpin of the historic SK Sweden roster that made its presence felt in 2003 and 2004. The burger itself is a spicy bacon cheeseburger, topped with yellow onion, tomato, hot chili sauce, and a sesame seed bun.
The McFragbite is an homage to the Swedish esports news site, Fragbite, whose Swedish language coverage of several titles, including Starcraft 2, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike, coupled with their series of competitive tournaments, the Fragbite Masters, has made it an online staple for some time. The burger is a savory combination of cheddar and swiss cheeses, iceberg lettuce, roasted onions, chorizo, black pepper, lemon and onion sauce, American barbecue sauce, and a bun with both chili and sesame seeds.
If you’re curious what those will look like, here’s Christensen with his sandwich
Nu är det dags för nummer åtta i gänget, Arvid Jay Gullberg med sin gaminginspirerade McHeatoN. #MyBurger pic.twitter.com/84OKk8iD9j
— McDonald’s Sverige (@mcdse) June 4, 2014
And here’s Fragbite creator Andreas Karlsson with his:
Andreas Karlsson är nummer sju ut med hans McFragbite. #MyBurger pic.twitter.com/RlhxsZux31
— McDonald’s Sverige (@mcdse) June 4, 2014
Equally remarkable, perhaps, is that the two esports themed burgers were not the only ones up for consideration. The “Friberg Feast”, named after current Ninjas in Pyjamas member Adam “Friberg” Friberg, made it to the final round of voting, but did not make the eventual summer slate.
Esports names on food and beverages is not a new concept; Halo player Tom “Tsquared” Taylor’s face made its public debut on Dr. Pepper bottles in 2008. But to actually have the foodstuff named after the athletes is pretty new, and certainly a sign of competitive gaming’s growing popularity.
