I tried the Krispy Kreme Xbox doughnut

I’m ambivalent about cross-brand synergy — typically hollow business deals borne from some misguided belief that yes, these two things work together and will sell more… something. Microsoft — more specifically, Xbox — loves to tie its onyx consoles to food companies, soft drinks and the rest. While promoting the Xbox One X in the US alone, there were collaborations with Taco Bell, Doritos, Mountain Dew and, er, Totino’s pizza rolls.

On the other hand, I also like doughnuts.

In the UK, American doughnut company Krispy Kreme is celebrating the Xbox’s 20th anniversary with an iced donut decorated to look like the console’s nexus symbol. If you’re willing to buy a box of 12, you’ll also get a code with a chance to win a Series X. However, I live alone and have poor self-control, so I bought a box of three — for the photos, of course.

I don’t think green is a particularly appetizing color for pastry treats, but it sells Xbox the brand — sort of? The color seems closer to Krispy Kreme’s shade of green, and not quite as vivid as the almost-lime Xbox logo. The thin layer of green icing doesn’t have a flavor, and there’s a dusting of powdered sugar to indicate the collaboration. Otherwise, yes, it’s a filled Krispy Kreme, puffy delicious yeast-raised donut. I’m not here to debate cake versus yeast donuts — please take it out on me over on Twitter.

Then I bit in deeper. Maybe it’s the Mountain Dew tie-ins with video gaming’s past, but I feared some sort of aggressive citrus jam/jelly or neon fondant nonsense. Thankfully, instead: thick, rich chocolate brownie fondant that’s pretty delicious but not excessively cloying. 

The limited-edition doughnuts are on sale in the UK until August 22nd.