The sorry state of video games merchandise
By Phil Bothun
Gamers™ are probably one of the most merchandise-hungry people around, perhaps besides Warhammer 40k sickos. It's nearly impossible to find someone who plays a lot of games not have something that lights up with RGB lights, a Funko Pop or Amiibo of their favorite character, or some other piece of games memorabilia. And, while we seem to be feasting with licensed games, oh boy is it rough out there for video games merch sometimes.
The thing that really pushed me over the edge is the above licensed Dune Xbox controller. I mean come on, you're telling me that in a world as rich and a film as stylish as Dune: Part Two, the best you could do for a branded tie-in is a gray, dirty controller with a logo floating over a fifth grader's desert diorama? Dune: Part Two, the movie that happens after the fall of the Atreides is in need of a controller emblazoned with the Atreides logo? There's no still-suit decal, no blue eyes, not even fake Ornithopter paneling. Just. A. Logo.
Listen. I get it. This is a one-off controller made for these press photos and a contest. It's more to raise awareness about flying an ornithopter in Flight Simulator than get people hyped for a licensed controller. But in a world where Lego is cashing in on Dune with an Ornithopter model, it's wild to look at this JC Penney's catalog ass looking controller that floats and think, "hell yeah, I'd buy that." And I want to buy Dune merch.
There's so much potential in video game merch, but so often it's too big statues to join the too many statues I already have (looking at you, Messmer), logo Ts, or consoles emblazoned with brand logos or art just like those anime wraps on '97 Civics you see around town. These things go in people's homes that sometimes other people have to visit.
Why must every t-shirt be emblazoned with the game logo? The copy on this black on black Dead Space shirt says that it's "a great way to show your love for the iconic franchise." Which is like saying I show my son I love him simply by saying his name. Even the hoodies with Isaac Clarke's iconic mask have the Dead Space logo emblazoned on the chest. Who is that for?
You don't need to do high-fashion, but so much of this merchandise isn't made for the people buying it, it's made so you can promote their game for them. Think about it this way, you bought the merch because you like the thing, right? And, if you like Dead Space enough to buy a T shirt, you probably like it well enough to not have to be reminded of what the game is called.
This was the great success of something like the N7 Hoodie. The coloring and symbolism of Shepard's N7 armor is so iconic in the game that fans recognize it on a hoodie. It says, "I played Mass Effect and liked it enough to buy this hoodie that secretly shows off my fandom." It doesn't say, "I played Mass Effect and all I got was this T shirt that says Mass Effect." Your fandom is celebrated, not exploited.
One of my favorite examples of great video games merchandise is Deus Ex: Human Revolution. It feels very 2012 to have a merch store filled with Adam Jensen's Trench Coat or a bandana using in-game patterns, but man, we used to be a hobby with some style. Notice: there are no logos, the coat doesn't say "Adam Jensen" on a big nametag. It's just a nice 2012 coat. There's a Reddit thread from mid-2023 still talking about the followup jacket from Mankind Divided.
Merchandising a game is just not important; I'm sure it's a negligible amount of income for the studio and making physical products is hard. I just feel like these big games that cost in the hundreds of millions to make deserve a little more than a T shirt with box art on it.
I'm begging you, video game merchandise designer, step outside your logo, trust your audience, and make something that is worth more than getting shot out of a T shirt cannon at a fan event.
