Growing Your Business: Games Provide Tremendous Cross-Over Appeal – Never before in history, has American pop-culture been utilized in such a diverse offering of merchandise and collectibles. From trading cards to figures, comic books to games and more; chances are your favorite movie or TV show has a line of collectibles, novelties and merchandise ripe for the offering.
We have discussed the importance of diversifying your store’s product inventory by incorporating popular figure lines and collectible card games. Now, a new trend is emerging in pop culture and that is table top board games and non-trading card games. Leading companies in this category are IDW Publishing and Cryptozoic Entertainment. Both companies have a rich history and expertise in producing pop culture collectibles.
Many of these entertainment properties are already well recognized by your existing customers including: The Walking Dead, Ghostbusters, DC Comics, Orphan Black, Archer and more!
With the low investment cost, many of these games are worth stocking in your store. It’s all but guaranteed that a certain percentage of your customers that have purchased trading card sets for these properties will purchase a corresponding game.
Games have the additional benefit of having a built in reason to host in-store events to attract traffic. Games are a social activity by their very nature. Positioning your store as a resource for players will have the residual effects of creating goodwill and spreading positive word-to-mouth advertising. These are just a couple of the reasons why you’ll grow your business, games provide tremendous cross-over appeal.
Growing Your Business: Games Provide Tremendous Cross-Over Appeal – IDW Publishing Games
Products live in IDW’s Publishing portfolio or planned for this year include games from many popular entertainment properties including:
Back to the Future – Outatime Dice Game – Get ready for fast-paced fun, 88 MPH fast, to be exact. Back To The Future: OUTATIME is a dice rolling, press-your-luck race to be the first to gain the 1.21 gigawatts needed to power your DeLorean!
In a unique twist, your opponents will be able to use some or even all of your dice to power themselves up on your turn, so you’ll have to decide when to play it safe and when to put the peddle to the metal in this lightning fast adventure!
RELEASE DATE: May 27th, 2016
Back to the Future Board Game – Fire up the DeLorean and prepare for 1.21 Gigawatts of fun! In Back To The Future: An Adventure Through Time, 2-4 players compete to move Doc Brown’s time-traveling DeLorean between three timelines (1955, 1985, and 2015) in order to make sure that key events from the movie’s plotline take place.
Maneuver key characters like Marty McFly and Biff Tannen through the different timelines, ensuring they meet at just the right moment to set off iconic scenes. The player who does the best job repairing the timeline wins.
RELEASE DATE: In Store Now!!
Orphan Black Board/Card Game – Orphan Black introduced viewers to a world where human cloning is a hidden reality but everyone’s motive is in question. In the Orphan Black card game players will be part of one of three different factions secretly working against each other to complete goals in a world where nothing is what it seems.
This game of deduction and deception will have you battling for freedom, or destruction of the clones themselves!
RELEASE DATE: In Store Now!!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shadows of the Past Board Game – This is a miniatures combat, scenario-driven campaign game that features story content from the IDW TMNT comic. Taking the role of their favorite Turtle or the ultimate villain Shredder, players battle their way through a series of 60-90 minute missions in which they develop their characters’ strengths, fighting styles, and equipment along the way to create a lasting story arc.
Fan-favorite characters like Casey Jones and Alopex appear throughout the missions as the Turtles call on their closest allies for help in battling their deadliest foes.
RELEASE DATE: August 19th, 2016
Godfather: A New Don Board/Dice – This is a dice-rolling area control game for 3-6 players. Each round players will use their individual dice pools to claim different neighborhoods from the boroughs of 1950’s New York.
However, the active Don can use his muscle to make each player an “offer they can’t refuse” at the beginning of each turn, forcing players to choose between the Don’s favor or his wrath. Power and control of the city swing quickly and violently in this 60-minute war for the throne.
RELEASE DATE: July, 2016
X-Files: The Board Game – A tense cooperative board game where 1-4 players will take on the roles of FBI agents trying to uncover the truth of the conspiracy covered up by The Syndicate. One player will take up the role of the cigarette smoking man trying to hide the truth from the Mulder, Scully, Skinner and the double-agent Krycek.
Players will take on both creatures of the week and work together to solve the X-Files so that they can take down the syndicate and expose the true nature of their plans. The X-Files: The truth is out there.
RELEASE DATE: In Stores NOW!! – See also the “Trust No One” Expansion!
Growing Your Business: Games Provide Tremendous Cross-Over Appeal – Cryptozoic Entertainment Games
The Walking Dead Board Game – Only the strong survive. The weak turn into walkers, and then turn against their former friends! Fight your way through zombie-infested Atlanta with your fellow survivors. Grab some weapons to clear a path. Visit destinations like the department store, old folk’s home, and the CDC. Find the tools you’ll need to live another day.
Take on the role of Rick, Andrea, or one of the other hapless survivors and scrounge for sweet weapons like a Shotgun or Crossbow. Keep your eyes open for new allies, but watch your back! When supplies start running low, it’s every man for himself. If you can make it back to camp with enough gear to defend yourself and those you still care for, you win!
RELEASE DATE: In Stores NOW!! – See also The Walking Dead- Don’t Look Back!
Ghostbusters: The Board Game – An episodic adventure game for one to four players, who are charged with busting ghosts and sealing gates to the Spirit World. The game is customizable, cooperative, and highly re-playable. It features unique illustrations and figures based on original artwork and designs by Dan Schoening, the artist of IDW’s Ghostbusters comic book series.
Each Ghostbuster has a distinct role and unlocks unique abilities by gaining experience. The game offers modes for different levels of players, making it accessible to beginners and challenging to experts. Now is your chance to save the world!
RELEASE DATE: In Stores NOW!!
NHL Power Play – Team Building Card Game – Captain your very own Pro Hockey Team in the NHL Power Play™ Team-Building Card Game! With your Captain card to guide you, put together the best team you can from names across all 30 NHL® teams. Have you ever wanted to create a dream team of your favorite players? Now you can! Every card features your favorite stars of the NHL in glorious high-resolution action shots. Can you light the lamp enough times to win the game?
Compete for the best attackers, the best defenders, the best skills, and the best maneuver cards. Each card you add to your team will build upon the strategy you have chosen. Soon your team will act like a well-oiled machine and you’ll be ready to take a shot on goal. If you can beat the goalie, you score a point! The player who scores the most points wins. Games typically end with “hockey scores” like 4-3.
RELEASE DATE: In Stores NOW!!
DC Comics Deck Building Games – Cryptozoic Entertainment has produced an entire series of standalone deck building game and subsequent expansions. These games cover the scope of the DC Universe including: the Justice League, Batman, Teen Titans, Watchmen and more. Many are in stores now!
The latest release debuts April, 2016! In this game you can play as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Green Lantern, or Cyborg. The Justice League of America is ready for action! Each Super Hero has a unique special ability that will open up different strategies to the player. Follow that strategy or break away with a plan of your own.
Growing Your Business: Games Provide Tremendous Cross-Over Appeal
- 2024 Leaf Metal Football Cards Checklist - April 17, 2024
- 2023 Leaf Magnificence Multi-Sport Trading Cards Checklist - April 16, 2024
- 2024 Craniacs Trading Cards Series 1 - April 16, 2024