@R_R_X after willfoxification’s stream/Q&A…jon said something that didn’t sit quite well with me with regards to 1/6 figures based off of video game properties.
Jon and Ivan work for Queen and InArt, so clearly they and their team have unique insight to the needs and wants from collectors the world over. And they said without any hesitation that ‘gamers don’t collect toys etc etc’.
I don’t agree with their ‘math’ on that. Often times game companies produce limited editions that have scaled statues or the occasional articulated figure. The key word being ‘limited’ and usually with an edition size of 5 to 10,000…depending on popularity of IP and exclusivity with the brick and mortar store I.e GameStop, Best Buy yada yada.
So clearly there IS a market no?
Limtoys has made figures from video game IPs such as metal gear, resident evil-albeit 1/12- red dead, last of us and last but not least, uncharted.
Is it safe to assume these sold VERY well?
If you can reveal numbers, just how well? Also, had these been ‘licensed products’, could sales have been even greater because now you can sell through shops like BBTS and SSC?
So…the question i would’ve asked Jon and Ivan: are you sure gamers aren’t collecting not because of lack of interest, but more because they have a lack of exposure or choices? And the follow up question would be: not all game IPs translate well into 1/6, so maybe try and acquire the ones that do?
I actually have way more to say and ask…but I don’t want to overwhelm you
Video game licenses are very expensive, some are even more expensive than most film and series licenses. Video game publishers/studios are also primarily focused on developing and shipping video games as well as the hardware to play them on. Collectibles are not really on their radar and from what I've researched and experienced, more often that not it's a collectibles brand that has to pull strings and reach out to these publishers.
And no, while there's certainly a market for video game figures, it's nothing compared to what InArt or Hot Toys earn with their live action figures. Video game figures are still somewhat niche in this hobby, and the average video game collector would never see Nathan Drake as more than "a guy in a henley" when compared to their
Marvel and
Star Wars figures. To most here, there's a bigger appeal in seeing their favorite actors and live action characters recreated in 1/6 scale than a 3D model of the guy from that game they played ages ago, if they played it at all.
Most importantly, the vast majority of gamers simply aren't interested in getting expensive 1/6 scale collectibles. They'll get collector editions sure but those are nowhere near the price of a Hot Toys figure. These days the price of hardware keeps rising and with developers constantly pushing for higher price tags on video games too it probably makes it so even less gamers want to spend money on figures. I've also know many gamers and have hardcore gamer friends but aside from those at LIM, I'm the only one who collects figures. Some who've seen my collection think the figures are cool, but they would never spend the amount of money we do on a 1/6 scale figure.
You also need to factor in the fact LIM is unlicensed, like many other third party brands producing video games figures. I even know some brands that are run by people who made licensed products before and they are much happier now than before. This is because licensors strip you of your creativity with specific demands and they take a huge cut of your profit with license and distribution fees, especially companies like Sony. This is by far, the biggest reason why you don't see Hot Toys and other brands going after PlayStation licenses. Then "why would InArt make them in 1/12", you ask. It's simple, the R&D and production cost of a fully sculpted 1/12 figure is much cheaper and easier to handle than a fully clothed 1/6 scale figure. They are also sold at much cheaper prices than clothed 1/6 and even 1/12 figures, which incentivizes people to buy them. That is what InArt is banking on, that the average gamer will see one of their Morfig figures and be allured by the aesthetics and the price enough to buy it.
To that you'll probably reply, "But their 1/6 scale Wukong figure is doing amazingly well in sales!" well of course it is, Monkey King is a huge beloved cultural figure in China and the video game itself is something that has inspired many aspiring Chinese developers and gamers, it's become a source of pride for a lot of gamers there and China in general. It's safe to say your average video game protagonist doesn't have the same cultural impact and icon status over there and I'm not surprised they want to go deep with that line.
At the end of the day InArt is a business and they have their plate full with many 1/6 figures that will sell more than most video game characters ever would. I'm honestly surprised they are even attempting them in 1/12 since that market is even worse when it comes to diversity,
Marvel and
DC dominate that scale. They also have their own interests which definitely plays into some of the licenses they get, it's why they got
The Walking Dead license I believe, because some of them are big fans of the show. They probably don't care about video games as much.
That's where LIM differs. I live and breathe video games, they've been my passion since I was knee high to a grasshopper. I've been on journeys with characters like Nathan, Kratos, Solid Snake that have spanned multiple console generations and I've been deeply moved by characters like Joel and Ellie, Arthur Morgan and John Marston, the entire cast of Mass Effect, etc. I've immersed myself in these worlds and connected deeply with these characters in ways that are not possible in other mediums. So have the others at LIM. We make video game figures and pour heart in them, not because we want to gain profit (though it's always necessary to at least earn back what was invested to keep making them) but because we, as collectors, want to have representations of the characters we love in 1/6 scale and we'll keep doing them for as long as we can, with nothing holding our creativity back, our mentality is basically summarized with this image.
So, keep those things in mind when you ask why InArt, Hot Toys and others choose to stay away from game licenses. Sure it sucks, especially if you only collect licensed figures, but people like us who love video games AND 1/6 figures, are very few and far between when compared to the average 1/6 scale consumer.
