Olivia R. March 1, 2019
Overwatch hero Lucio has his own cereal.
Lucio-Oh’s feature yellow and green cereal loops in the color of Lucio’s original skin. The cereal’s flavor is “Sonic Vanilla,” according to the box, which can only be assumed to be vanilla with the sound cranked up.
While Kellog's had a limited release of the cereal in December, it was first introduced at BlizzCon a month earlier. Attendees were given free boxes. More stores have been adding Lucio-Oh's to their shelves the last few months.
“You can’t skate, dance, spin records, or save the world on an empty stomach,” Lucio said in a video promoting the cereal’s release.
The cereal garnered a positive response from the Overwatch community. Fans have come up with cereal flavors for other Overwatch heroes, like Winston’s peanut butter and McCree’s apple pie.
But most of the cereal support came from the packaging’s promise of a “Loot Boost.” Fans who send in a photo of their receipt will receive a bonus loot box with their next three in-game levels. This is the first promotion of its kind for Overwatch. While gamers will have to put in some hours to get the reward, they get more loot boxes in return than in previous promotions.
Lucio-Oh’s box design is based on Lucio’s in-game spray, where he appears on the front of a box of cereal. While nothing on the spray is legible aside from the cereal’s name, it was a nod to Lucio’s backstory as a major international celebrity.
Growing up in Rio de Janeiro, Lucio noticed that his poor community was hit hard by the Omnic Crisis. As people struggled to overcome the financial upheaval, Lucio decided to bring some positivity to his peers through music. He started by performing on street corners and block parties, eventually scoring gigs at underground shows.
Things were looking up for the aspiring DJ until his hometown was taken over by the Vishkar Corporation. Many of the people in his community became part of the company’s cheap labor force. Others were oppressed with strict laws and curfews.
An emboldened Lucio stole Vishkar’s sonic technology, converting the weapons into tools that could help rally his community into action. His music skyrocketed to international fame when he was able to lead a revolution that drove Vishkar out of his old neighborhoods.
Lucio became a symbol for social change. And apparently a spokesperson for sugary cereals as well.
