Yes, the US-only Final Fantasy 14 and Mountain Dew collaboration is real

It sounds like an internet meme cooked up on Reddit, but it’s really true: Final Fantasy 14 is partnering with Mountain Dew Gaming to bring you Mountain Dew-themed in-game items.

The promotion is apparently in preparation for the release of Dawntrail, though how exactly the soda brand relates to the upcoming expansion beyond sharing vaguely summery vibes is anyone’s guess. Available only in the US from May 16 to June 14, the FF14 x MTN Dew Gaming collaboration offers the Mountain Zu—a teal-colored variant of the existing Zu mount—and the Sparkling Citrus Refreshment, which is legally distinct from a real bottle of Mountain Dew. 

The promotion ties into the existing Mountain Dew Gaming program, where you enter codes from the bottlecaps of eligible Mountain Dew products to collect points that you can cash in for various game-related items. You will need to create and register an account with Mountain Dew Gaming in order to collect points and access the rewards marketplace.

The Mountain Zu mount and Sparkling Citrus Refreshment cost 600 and 100 points respectively, with one bottlecap code earning you 100 points each. But if you’re willing to put down the cash, the promotion does offer some much more expensive items, including themed keycap sets, plushies, t-shirts, and even PUMA sweaters and joggers. You can even buy yourself the starter edition of FF14 itself for 10,000 Mountain Dew Gaming points, which may or may not be a discount depending on the price of soda at your local stores. 

While the specially marked bottles are exclusive to the US, the codes for the in-game items can’t actually be restricted to any region. If you have a friend in America willing to chug soda for you, you can potentially redeem the codes from Mountain Dew Gaming and register them to your account even if you live outside of the US.