Forza Horizon 3’s Mountain Dew cars aren’t nearly as stupid as I had hoped

Kickstart my car

Mountain Dew and video games are a match made in Stereotype Heaven that we see from time to time. It’s common knowledge that Gamers need Gamer Fuel, and Mountain Dew is the creme de la creme of Gamer Fuels. There’s just something about the way the effervescent, radiant liquid washes down the Dorito dust.

Forza Horizon 3 has a partnership with Mountain Dew for a new car pack, and it’s incredibly restrained in its execution. None of the vehicles are plastered with tacky logos like it’s NASCAR meets the Outback. This is Mountain Dew in name only.

The cars included in this pack are: the 2016 Lotus 3-Eleven, the 1951 Holden FX Sedan, the 1996 Ferrari F50 GT, the 2013 Dodge Dart GT, the 1971 Chevrolet Vega GT, the 1973 AMC Gremlin X, and the 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX. A trailer for the add-on is embedded above.

However, the restraint comes at a literal price. Unlike most sponsored content, the Mountain Dew Car Pack isn’t free. A price wasn’t announced, but other similar Forza Horizon 3 packs have been set at $7. What’s more, the developer notes in the Forza forums that this add-on exists outside the car pack season pass, so it’s not included with any other purchase. Everyone has to buy this individually.

The Mountain Dew Car Pack releases tomorrow, June 6. It’s not the intrusive branding machine you’d expect. It’s not a reminder of how dumb sponsored video game content can be. Somehow, that makes me just a little bit wistful.