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Tag: Merchandising

  • Battlefield 4 to be Heavily Merchandised With Clothes, a Novel, and More

    As publishers struggle with ever-growing budgets for what they hope will be blockbuster next-generation, many of them are looking for new revenue models. Some are turning to mobile, where a growing segment of casual gamers have proven willing to spend money on free-to-play titles and inexpensive, easy-to-develop games. EA, however, has revealed that its plans for Battlefield 4 will take a more traditional route.

    EA today announced that it will heavily merchandise Battlefield 4, as if it were a blockbuster movie. In addition to the requisite strategy guides and art book (which will come with both standard and collector’s editions), Battlefield 4-branded Razer gaming mice, keyboards, headsets, and messenger bags will also go on sale this fall. Battlefield 4 PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 controllers and mouse pads will also be manufactured. Moreover, t-shirts, hoodies, hats, keychains, dog tags, wall decals, and cases for smartphones and tablets are on the way. A Battlefield 4 novel written by Peter Grimsdale will compliment the campaign story of the game.

    This level of merchandising isn’t quite to the level that Angry Birds developer Rovio has reached (toys, soda, a theme park, a Star Wars tie-in, and basically the entire country of Finland), but it does show the direction EA wants to take its ‘AAA’ games in.

  • Rovio Partners With Hasbro For Even More Angry Birds Toys

    Anyone who has casually perused a toy store lately can attest that the Angry Birds brand has grown to become one of the largest current toy brands. The birds and their pig nemeses can be found on everything from plush toys to lunch boxes – and there is even an Angry Birds-branded soda.

    This wildly successful merchandising didn’t come about by chance, however. In the three years since the release of Angry Birds, Rovio has strategically partnered with companies to put their brand in the hands children in both Europe and the U.S. – and they won’t be slowing down anytime soon.

    Rovio announced this week that it has expanded its licensing agreement with Hasbro. The toy company will continue to manufacture Angry Birds toys, including ones related to the lucrative Angry Birds Star Wars property.

    “Angry Birds is one of the most recognizable entertainment franchises in the world and we’re thrilled Rovio has chosen Hasbro as its premier toy and game licensee,” said John Frascotti, CMO at Hasbro.

    In addition to the Hasbro deal, Rovio also announced that it intends to expand its merchandising reach with even more partnerships. The Finnish company has partnered with Power A to provide mobile and video game accessories, with Thermos to create Angry Birds storage containers, and with Pez to create new Pez dispensers. In addition, Gemmy Industries will be creating inflatable toys and Halloween costumes, while Natrol will create Angry Birds multivitamins for kids.

    “We are thrilled to have these companies onboard with us,” said Naz Cuevas, SVP of Global Consumer Products Licensing at Rovio. “We are committed to developing great products for our fans with our dedicated partners, resulting in even deeper retail integrations.”

  • Zynga, Hasbro Partner To Make FarmVille Toys A Reality

    The people behind FarmVille, Words With Friends, and Mafia Wars are teaming up with the people behind Transformers, Nerf, and My Little Pony to produce a line of real-life toys and games based on the popular social games.

    The two companies just announced the agreement, which give Hasbro the license to create and distribute “wide ranging product lines based on Zynga’s game brands.” This means toys, games, and other real life products based on Zynga’s massive catalog of online games.

    I know what you’re thinking – does this mean that a Words With Friends board game is a possibility? You know, Scrabble?

    “It’s exciting to partner with Hasbro as we share a common vision for play and a mission to connect the world through games,” said Mark Pincus, founder, CEO and chief product officer of Zynga. “This partnership is so special because it represents an exciting leap forward in enabling people to connect their virtual and real worlds. Hasbro has inspired play through their famous toys, games and action figures and we look forward to working with a company that continually creates meaningful and fun brands.”

    Hasbro is looking to benefit from Zynga’s 200+ million monthly active users.

    “Hasbro is thrilled to have the opportunity to bring Zynga’s immensely popular social games to life in a variety of creative and new expressions that reflect consumers’ growing desire to surround themselves with gaming brands they love anytime, anywhere together with their friends and family,” said Brian Goldner, President and CEO of Hasbro. “Zynga is bringing more games to mainstream culture and is redefining how people play. At Hasbro, we’re proud to help bring their games to even more people around the world. This strategic alliance plays off of both Hasbro’s and Zynga’s proven strengths and is emblematic of the new innovations and new platforms we are creating across our entire gaming portfolio.”

    The deal also leaves open the possibility for co-branded ventures – My Little Pony on The Pioneer Trial, anyone?

    The first products are expected to roll off the production line sometime in the Fall of this year.

    Zynga has taken a little flak recently for a series of accusations that they were stealing from indie game developers. They later came out and defended their development strategy.

    If you want to really grasp just how huge Zynga is on the social gaming sphere, just think about this: In their IPO filings, Facebook revealed that Zynga accounted for 12% of their total revenue last year.