A new flavor of the popular Pringles chips has plenty of people talking. The flavor is “Moa Burger” and it’s based off a flightless bird creature originally seen in Halo: Reach. The Moa Burger flavor comes as part of a scheduled deal between Pringles and Microsoft to promote the delayed Halo Infinite, which was originally supposed to release in 2020 but now will release sometime in the fall of this year. Late-night talk show host and political satirist Stephen Colbert has even weighed in on the Pringles flavor, cracking a joke at the deal’s expense.
For those unfamiliar with Moa birds, they are found on Human colonies in Halo Reach and look a little bit like an ostrich with a helmet on. They were exported from the planet Reach and sent to several planets for different purposes, including entertainment and food. A fast food chain restaurant in the New Alexandria location of Halo: Reach called World Cuisine sells Moa burgers, and other places provide different forms of Moa meat including Moa nuggets, which are apparently an expensive delicacy among wealthy dignitaries.
During the Quarantine-While section in last night’s episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Colbert addressed the promotional deal saying, “Pringles and Microsoft–yes, you heard that right–have announced a new Halo potato chip that tastes like a space ostrich.” Colbert doesn’t offer any insight as to what the taste of “space ostrich” is comparable to but he quickly moves on to jest at another promotional deal with Yoshi-flavored burgers at the White Castle restaurant. This one is definitely fake. The Moa Burger Pringles segment starts around the three minute mark.
Stephen Colbert has a history of mentioning video game culture on his show, and he has shown actual interest in games before. Matthew Mercer, dungeon master for popular tabletop gaming web series Critical Role, has sat down with Colbert before to play a one-shot Dungeons and Dragons game of Mercer’s design. Several years ago Hello Games founder Sean Murray also met with Colbert on his talk show, and Colbert and Murray discussed Hello Games’ recent title No Man’s Sky. Colbert is quick with jokes about the gaming industry but he does have an appreciation for what makes gamers tick.
As for the Moa Burger Pringles promotion, the Pringles cans are available now at Walmart to buy. Gamers wanting to try the wavy Moa Burger Pringles can expect flavors of garlic, sweet ginger, and savory beef with an aftertaste kick brought on by chili and red peppers.
Microsoft also has promotions with other companies for Halo Infinite that include free emblems or double XP in the game. The Butterfinger/Xbox Series X free emblem promotion for Halo Infinite has already ended though and the double XP promotion with Monster Energy might not last until the game’s release.
