zOMG! Merchandise and virtual tie in

[Ju Tru Nix]

Ok, here's the thing, I've been off and online all day, in CleoSombra's Christmas thread Save Santa - Save zOMG! an idea was given thought...

X sansmerci

Ju Tru Nix

X sansmerci

Two thoughts.

One, that a good way to monetize and attract new users would be to have physical zOMG merch with in-game benefits (item, ring, power up, obscene number of orbs, what have you- just so long as it's zOMG specific so people have to try the game to see what they got.) I'm an older (not by much, I hope!) Gaian and I have bills enough that paying for things that only exist online is never going to become a thing I do often. I suspect a lot of people who wouldn't spend money on GC would be willing to spend towards the higher end of reasonable pricing for an item that had in-game benefits, and some of the animated are attractive enough that it wouldn't just be people who have already played that part of the game.
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That's not a bad idea! Neopets did that with most of their merchandise, and I know I ended up getting a lot of it for me and my family. (Heh still have all the plushies! *looks up at my limited ed Green Cybunny plush* lol)
Maplestory has the cards...
This might be a good one to bring up in the zOMG forums!
ninja So, uh.... you wanna start the thread there? lol

I'm not online often enough these days to maintain a thread, but I absolutely will not mind if you or anyone else makes such a thread.

I don't expect credit if that turns out to be something that the devs can use. wink

Ok, I think this is a great idea... Hell, I'd even pay extra markup to have some sort of zOMG virtual bonus for buying real zOMG items! (Keep your 25% sale, hell throw in another $2.50 per item and hand me a random new zOMG themed item for my avi!)

Ok, what do you guys think?
(And where in the heck do I put this in the main forums so that they know I'm talking about a Merchandise tie in??? I looked and can't find an appropriate forum sweatdrop )  

[Glyphic]

Oh god, that would be EPIC. As long as its accessible, I'd LOVE Gaia stuff, the in-game rewards is only a bonus! It would be so awesome to have a zOMG ring in rl.... *Mimes using the Guns Guns Guns ring* WEEEHEHEHEHHE!!! rofl  

[Emyre]

I like it.
I've wanted more RL zOMG stuff for a while.
But here's what the people at Gaia will say.

"If hardly anyone plays zOMG!, why would anyone buy real life merch?"

Real life stuff actually costs money to make.
If they make more than people buy, they're in the hole right off the bat.
I don't see them taking that gamble at this point, on a game that so few people play.

 

[RafiCat]

As I have said before, I would love to have some rings, and a poster size map. biggrin  

[Ju Tru Nix]

SykoCaster

I like it.
I've wanted more RL zOMG stuff for a while.
But here's what the people at Gaia will say.

"If hardly anyone plays zOMG!, why would anyone buy real life merch?"

Real life stuff actually costs money to make.
If they make more than people buy, they're in the hole right off the bat.
I don't see them taking that gamble at this point, on a game that so few people play.

That's kinda what this is all about, giving everyone an option to consider while we're tossing around ideas.
Brainstorming on a large scale.
As far as items, they already have the keychain animated and the plushies... toss in virtual tie in and add a markup for zOMG! sales. (maybe a rare pet only available through the virtual shop??? I'm thinking it could be run in a similar manner to the Crystal box and Demonique items available with cash cards, etc.)
Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe I read a quote somewhere about the zOMG! sales were attributed to zOMG! (I pretty much read it to mean that any sales would be able to call for the contiunuance of zOMG! development.)

Plus, if they are already coding in the stuff for pets already, what would it take to add one extra rare release for merchandise sales? (No, really, I'm not being a smartass. I just want to know.)  

[Nanenna]

I personally find myself more inclined to buy things that are virtual only than are physical for a few reasons. The first being that I can build up my GC reserves using the free offers, it takes a little time but so does any questing. So far as I know one cannot use GC in the merchandise store. The second is one that fewer people can relate to: I have no space. Half my belongings are in a storage unit down the road because I simply don't have room for everything in my current living conditions.

I'm not saying it's a bad idea, it's certainly better than having a virtual copy of the merchandise (I might tote around a mushroom cannon bag IRL, I'm not going to wear one on my avi). It's just that it's an idea that I wouldn't be able to contribute to in any meaningful way.  

[Insane Pillow]

Personally, I'm the type of person who would rather buy -just- virtual zOMG stuff. We also have to weigh in shipping costs for the IRL merch and some people don't have the extra money to spend or the need for it. D: