Popular Japanese manufacturer Nissin Foods, known for its Cup Noodles, brought back a Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain meme.
The company, which likely employs one or more dedicated gamers in its marketing department (and is about to release Cup Noodles designed specifically for gamers), is advertising its new product line "Special Cup Noodles" (Tokujo Cup Noodle) and decided to dig deep into gaming and internet lore for the campaign.
At the beginning of 2002, an internet meme surfaced and became popular on Japanese social media based on the scene in which Venom Snake wakes up after nine years in a coma, with the doctor delivering the news while encouraging him to listen without panicking.
The meme, which was acknowledged by Hideo Kojima himself, included parodies starring all sorts of characters from pop culture, anime, and video games.
Recently, Nissin released two commercials in which the doctor delivers surprising news on the Special Cup Noodles.
The first encourages us to "Please listen and try not to panic," ("Please keep calm and listen" in Japanese) as the new Cup Noodles released today (September 11) and the Mystery Meat is the biggest ever.
The second delivers the news that normal seafood Cup Noodles actually don't have any shrimp in it.
As Snake panics, the doctor tries to calm him down by mentioning the Special Cup Noodles Seafood actually do have shrimp.
This is certainly funny (albeit it probably is funnier for those who are familiar with Japanese memes), and leaves us wondering whether some sort of Metal Gear Solid collaboration may be coming. Nissin certainly isn't new to collaborating with video game IPs.
In the meanwhile, Konami is returning to the franchise with Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater, a remake of Metal Gear Solid 3.
On top of that, fans are also waiting for the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol 1, which includes the first three games of the series launching on October 24 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
