Rooibos appears in the game as the bush in summer bloom.
The game was developed by Germany-based Keen Games and launched via early access for Windows PC users on 24 January and requires players to gather resources, including Rooibos, to survive in the virtual Nomad Highlands, a resource-rich area at the heart of the game.
The game has already attracted more than 1 million users, with numbers growing daily. Players, known as ‘the flameborn’, are the last hope of an ancient civilisation. They must fight against ‘the shroud’, a creeping blight that absorbs and mutates all life it encounters.
To survive, players must gather resources such as wood, stone, metal, leather cloth, and rare plants like Rooibos
The Rooibos shrub, which is difficult to find in the game, resembles the plant in its spring bloom, covered in tiny yellow flowers. Players can use its seeds to create a plantation or brew a cup of tea.
Some users have reported that using the Rooibos tea recipe provides bonuses to a player’s stamina and endurance. The game is still in development, and more features are likely to be added.
From German supermarket to the metaverse
The decision to incorporate Rooibos into the game may be due to the plant’s growing popularity in Germany and Europe.
Rooibos is now available in almost every German supermarket, department store, health food shop, specialised tea shop, and even petrol station convenience stores. The South African brew accounts for about ten percent of the tea consumed in Germany.
“The inclusion of Rooibos into Enshrouded has come as a complete surprise and is sure to drive Rooibos’ visibility and reach new demographics. Gaming has gone from a niche hobby to one of the biggest markets in the entertainment industry with more than 3 billion gamers worldwide,” says Rooibos Council spokesperson Adele du Toit.
“We hope that players worldwide will associate positive experiences with Rooibos in the game, which could potentially lead to increased awareness and a greater demand for our locally grown tisane.”
Growing popularity
Last year, nearly 10,000 tonnes of Rooibos were exported to more than 40 overseas markets, with Japan, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK being the top five importers of the product.
Enshrouded is currently available on STEAM and GeForce and is set to be released in late 2024 for Windows PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Series S.
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