Tokyo Game Show 2024: Merchandising Takeaways and Trends
It was incredible to be part of the Tokyo Game Show 2024 and meet all of the amazing people behind some of our favorite licenses. This was our first show as Shikwasa in Japan and so we had to go there with a bang and bring some of our best products to show off, and it was a great success with people desperate to take photos with our game and anime merchandise.
But we weren't just there to show off, we wanted to dig out the most intriguing trends and takeaways we could find from this international show, so we can share with you.
1/ PVP hero-based shooters are growing even more popular
This is a theme we saw across multiple booths launching new PVP hero shooters, that the queues were there and very long. This style of game has multiple benefits for both consumers and brands a like and can bring a lot of success when done correctly.
For a brand it's the perfect way to build a new license, there are characters that will appeal to everyone and each consumer will have their favorite hero. This gives you many options to create merchandise from that will be popular with any group in the playerbase. Instead of a single hero character, people will find that hero that they truly identify with and in turn will buy merchandise for.
2/ Chinese studios are on the rise
We saw an astounding amount of Chinese studios at the show this year, and they were bringing some incredible games and amazing exhibition booths. With the success of Black Myth Wukong, it's no surprise that these studios are showing off what they can do and we can see them making much bigger impact globally in the future.
This is a prime opportunity to start looking at these upcoming studios and see what IP they have and how these emerging IP can fit into your merchandising strategy.
We saw multiple studios showing their up-to-date remake of classic games, bringing some of their most beloved IP into the current expectations of gamers. This has also helped them open up doors to the new generation of gamers who haven't played their IP before. This is an amazing opportunity for creating merchandise of these IP and franchises because you are activating the older generation of consumers who are die-hard fans of the licenses, but also the newer generation who are picking this up for the first time.
4/ Indie games are competing hard with AAA studios
These studios are creating games that can and will compete with the AAA titles in every way. Sure they aren't as high-budget productions, but they have all of the quality and detail in them that you'd expect from a AAA studio. This is a sign to start thinking about how these indie licenses can work in your merchandising strategy, and if you are an indie studio, how can you develop merchandise for your games that are going to draw attention and fans.
5/ Unique merch is the way to go
We explored every corner of the merchandise area in Tokyo Game Show and we found that there are trends forming within this sector too, and it's all about unique ideas and pieces. With our wallets getting thinner and spaces getting smaller, especially in Tokyo, consumers are looking to spend on fewer but more unique and high quality items. We found that because of this, more IP holders are taking it on themselves to develop their own merchandise lines, so they can control the quality and generate higher revenue streams than the traditional licensing deals that are starting to fail.
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