(Trends Wide) — Coca-Cola launched a new limited-edition flavor for “gamers,” a demographic increasingly sought after by major food and beverage brands.

For this new flavor, called Coca-Cola Ultimate, the soft drink maker partnered with Riot Games, which publishes the online multiplayer game League of Legends. Coca-Cola Ultimate will be available in stores in the US and Canada starting June 12 for a limited time, in regular and sugar-free varieties. Worldwide, it will only be available without sugar and will launch this week.

A few years ago, Coca-Cola Co. pared back its product portfolio to focus on its core brands, including Coca-Cola. But sugar-free soft drinks have been a dormant category for years, so Coca-Cola has to work to attract new people.

The line of abstract flavors, each associated with a digital experience, is designed to spark enthusiasm for Coca-Cola among younger consumers by focusing on music and online gaming.

Ultimate is supposed to appeal especially to video game players. And like most of Coca-Cola’s other limited-edition drinks, the actual flavor will remain under wraps.

mysterious flavors

Other whimsical flavors from Coca-Cola’s Creations platform, which began rolling out a year and a half ago, include the space-inspired Starlight; Dreamworld, which supposedly tastes like dreams; and Byte, which is supposedly pixel-flavored. Coca-Cola has also partnered with musicians Rosalía and Marshmello to create limited-edition flavors.

As in most of these cases (Marshmello’s flavor had hints of strawberry and watermelon), Coca-Cola isn’t saying what Ultimate tastes like.

“We’re never going to answer that question” in a “straight” way, said Oana Vlad, Coca-Cola’s senior director of global strategy. “They’re mystery flavors. But they always have to taste like Coke. “The flavor profile is always, say, 85 to 90% Coke. And then that 10 or 15% of something unexpected.”

Ultimate is supposed to give drinkers a taste of “experience points” League of Legends players earn based on the time they spend playing the game, according to a company statement announcing the product.

The flavors are not intended to become a permanent offering, James Quincey, the company’s CEO, said at the Redburn CEO conference in November. Instead, they are supposed to help build buzz around the company’s core product.

“They are more attractive and interesting than a flavor, a Coke with vanilla or something like that,” he said. “Testing the limits… that has to do with engagement with consumers.”

Coca-Cola’s marketing approach seems to work. In the first quarter, the Coca-Cola brand grew in all geographic regions, according to the company, thanks in part to interest from the coveted Gen Z market.

“If we were to take the US…we can see that the growth of the Coca-Cola franchise is not just due to increased uptake, but increased engagement and uptake of Generation Z,” he said.

Flavors are also a way to reach people online, in games, and beyond.

virtual experiments

Limited time offers have been combined with virtual experiences. The Starlight can included a QR code that gave access to a holographic Ava Max concert. Those who tasted Dreamworld could purchase virtual products for their avatars online.

“The digital component (…) is really at the heart of what Creations is,” said Vlad.

With this platform, Coca-Cola is entering the world of music and video games, fertile ground for beverage companies.

Red Bull has been involved in the world of electronic sports for years and PepsiCo has developed a product, Mountain Dew Game Fuel, specifically for gamers. Recently, the main manufacturers of snacks have also bet on the games.

And the relationship between Riot and Coca-Cola goes beyond the limited-edition flavor. The two companies announced a multi-year partnership in March of last year, having previously partnered between 2014 and 2016.

With Creations, Coca-Cola can target players in more ways.

Byte, the pixel-flavored cola, made its debut in Fortnite. The Marshmello flavor was featured on player Loserfruit’s Twitch channel.

Ultimate, of course, is related to League of Legends. Players can earn Ultimate emotes (sort of in-game reaction Bitmoji) when they achieve certain in-game goals. A QR code on the bottle leads to an Ultimate filter for Instagram.

Ultimate is “the crown jewel of our ongoing and evolving partnership,” said Eric Krause, global head of marketing for League of Legends Games at Riot Games.