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Razer’s Respawn drink is caffeinated water for gamers

Razer’s Respawn drink is caffeinated water for gamers

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Selling energy drinks at e-sports events is big business

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Razer, which is widely known for making clicky mechanical things, wireless electronic things, and RGB LED-backlit things, is today getting into the performance-enhancing drinks racket. The new Respawn — stylized as “RESPAWN” because it’s so extreme and gamery — drink from Razer contains 95mg of caffeine per serving, comes in little sachets of flavored powder that you mix with water, and costs $24.99 for a box of 20. You can get the Respawn-branded mixer bottle for another $29.99 because, obviously, everything tastes better when it comes out of a loudly branded canister.

Pardon me for brimming with cynicism about this, but cynicism is exactly the approach I see evident in Razer’s actions. The company is making lofty claims of “Increased Alertness and Focus” and “Enhanced concrentration,” yet it, ironically, lacked the concentration to spell “concentration” correctly. (The typo in its FAQ has since been corrected.) It’s like the gaming industry’s very own Goop.

It’s understandable that Razer, a company on the front lines of e-sports competitions, would have seen the wild popularity of energy drinks at those events, and among online gamers in general, and would want a slice of that pie. Monster Energy, G Fuel, Mountain Dew, and others have already made huge strides in that lucrative market. Monster Beverage, in fact, is the best-performing US stock this century, surpassing giants like Apple and Amazon.