Welcome back to Side Quest Sessions! This is the second episode in our video series, where we explore different aspects of our work and what makes us unique as a video game creative agency here at WAYPOINT. If you haven’t already, check out our first episode here.
Today, we will delve into the creative and complex world of video game collector's editions. As a premier video game creative agency, we at WAYPOINT have a deep understanding of what makes these awesome gaming collectible sets so desirable for fans. From concept to creation, collector’s editions bring artistry, exclusivity, and immersion that allow fans to hold a tangible part of the games they love.
Let's take a closer look at what makes these collector's editions so special and explore the intricate process behind their creation, from initial concept designs to the final product that fans eagerly anticipate.
In today’s age of digital downloads, physical video game memorabilia have a special role. With fewer physical copies of games available, collector’s editions have become more popular, offering super fans something rare and collectible. According to our creative director Joe McGrath, the appeal is rooted in nostalgia and fandom—a chance for players to own a piece of game history. Collector's editions bring tangible gaming collectibles to a digital world, making them highly valuable for fans who want more than a digital download to commemorate their gaming experience.
The process of creating a collector’s edition is as intricate as it is creative. Here are the essential elements we consider:
1. Understanding the Fanbase: The first step is understanding the heart of the game and its players. By researching fan communities, we identify what items, characters, and themes resonate most. Are the fans of this franchise passionate about its characters, iconic weapons, or specific environments? This helps us design with intention, creating items that are more than awesome gaming collectibles—they’re emotional connections to the game.
2. Crafting Iconic In-Game Replicas: It’s not just about making figurines of heroes; often, it’s the unique in-game items that hold deep meaning for fans. Items like the We Happy Few alarm clock, which mimics an in-game object, or the Scorpitron statue from Wasteland 3 give fans a true piece of the game world. These carefully chosen replicas serve as reminders of memorable in-game moments, bringing the virtual into reality.
3. Designing an Unforgettable Unboxing Experience: A collector’s edition starts with the package itself. We consider every detail, from protective video game packaging to immersive design, because unboxing is the fan’s first physical interaction with the collectible. Take, for example, the Wasteland 3 box, which was designed to look like a rugged, wasteland-delivered package, or another collector’s edition with die-cut gears on the box. Each choice makes unboxing an experience in itself, giving fans that immediate wow factor.
4. Selecting Premium Materials: Materials play a huge role in the perceived value of the collector’s edition. Resin is often used for more limited-run, collectible items due to its durability and premium feel, while PVC is chosen for higher quantities due to its versatility and cost-efficiency. Decisions about materials—from smooth acrylics to glow-in-the-dark paints—impact everything from the tactile feel of the item to its durability, and ultimately, the impression it leaves on fans.
5. Prototyping and Production: Each item goes through several phases of refinement. Starting with rough mock-ups, we create multiple prototypes, refine materials, and adjust details. Only after several rounds of samples and feedback are we ready for the final production run. This process is meticulous, ensuring that every piece captures the intended quality, design, and feel, as well as meeting strict safety and compliance requirements.
Creating premium gaming collector’s editions is a multi-step journey. Here’s how Waypoint brings these exclusive items from concept to completion:
1. Initial Concept and Mock-Ups: Video game product development begins with design mock-ups that include preliminary beauty shots and design concepts, allowing us and the client to visualize the final product. This stage is all about creativity and ideas—finding that perfect mix of materials, themes, and item layouts that showcase the game figures' essence. Mock-ups give us a starting point for discussions with the client, who may want to focus on different themes or add special details to the edition.
2. Prototyping and Refining: Once the design is locked in, we work closely with our manufacturing partners to bring the mock-ups to life. This includes refining dimensions, selecting materials, and adjusting based on functionality and quality. Each item is evaluated through rounds of prototypes to perfect the appearance, balance, and stability.
3.Quality Assurance and Compliance: Quality is essential, as it ensures that each item meets regional and legal standards. Compliance testing is conducted at every step, from the item’s materials to packaging durability. It’s a behind-the-scenes part of production, but one that ensures each collectible can be safely distributed worldwide.
4. Packaging, Assembly, and Shipping: Once production is complete, all items are assembled into their final packaging, carefully arranged for maximum visual impact. From there, the items are shipped internationally, with every step coordinated to ensure each product reaches its destination on time and in pristine condition.
Collector’s editions are constantly evolving. Recently, we've seen an increased demand for interactive and technology-driven elements, such as LED lighting (check this awesome Elden Ring project we worked on!), magnetic parts, and even small projectors within gaming statues. Noteworthy trends include:
1. Incorporating Lighting and Effects: LEDs, glow-in-the-dark paint, and UV lighting effects are growing popular for figurines, adding an extra layer of immersion. We’ve used these techniques in recent projects, such as creating an LED-lit environment for a PUBG diorama and glow-in-the-dark materials for a post-apocalyptic character from RAD.
2. High-Tech, Interactive Components: Recent collector’s editions, like one that featured a floating wand from the Harry Potter universe, incorporate magnetic levitation and other tech features. At WAYPOINT, we’re experimenting with these trends, exploring new ways to make collectibles interactive, including potential plans for voice-responsive statues that bring the characters to life in unique ways.
3. Classics with a Modern Twist: While high-tech elements are exciting, classic memorabilia remains popular too. Items like retro-inspired action figure packaging, which we’ve used in projects, bring a nostalgic twist to modern gaming memorabilia, blending the past and present for fans.
At Waypoint, we’re driven by our commitment to high-quality work and fan-centered designs. We see collector’s editions as more than products; they’re a way for fans to feel closer to their favorite games. Our mission is to create pieces that reflect the game’s essence and the passion of its community, ensuring every edition resonates with fans on a personal level. If you want to learn more about CE's, make sure to check out our blog entry on leveraging Collector’s Editions for PR.
As we look to the future, we’re excited to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in collector’s editions. From interactive features and classic designs to direct to consumer video game ecommerce, we’re here to create items that fans will treasure for years to come. To stay up to date with our latest creations, tune into more of our "Side Quest Sessions," and keep an eye out for Waypoint’s next unforgettable collector’s edition.
Sean: Hey everybody. You're here for side quest Sessions. My name is Sean, and this is our creative director, Joe McGrath.
Joe: What's up, everyone?
Sean: Today, we're gonna talk about video game collector's editions. And just a quick refresher on who we are and what we do. Our company is called Waypoint. We work on three different things. Exclusively in the video game industry, and those are creative, collectibles and e commerce. And today, we're gonna touch on the collectibles department.
Alright, Joe. So, like I said, we are gonna talk about video game collector's editions. And one of the first things I was thinking of talking about was why do they even exist? And I think that with the advent of digital downloads and digital distribution, we have a lot less stuff to touch and hold and cherish and collect, and that's one of the major appeals of video game extra editions. What do you think?
Joe: Yeah. Absolutely. I think less physical media, people really wanna own a piece of it for themselves. And I think it's also a lot about servicing the fandom. Right? We have these super fans. They have their favorite games. And it gives publishers a way to kind of give them something back. Right? And let them have a chance to own a piece of this part of history, this game.
Sean: As far as our customers are concerned, that gives something a little more to a standard release. You can instead of releasing a game in the standard jewel case. You can have a premium edition, a standard edition, a collector's edition, and so on, and it gives somebody who's really passionate about the game a little extra to go for. Right?
Joe: Absolutely. And they come in all shapes and sizes, you know, sometimes there's a day one or a launch edition that's just a little something extra with some smaller collectibles. And then they range all the way up to giant statues or weapon replicas from your favorite franchise.
Sean: For sure. And on the business side, we can drive a little more excitement. It's something to talk about. It's another marketing beat for the game publisher to release before the game comes out, something for them to build some hype up to the release. And also, here's more purchasing options. Like, instead of buying just the standard edition, you can go ahead and get the premium edition. And you'll have some some kind of exclusive item that maybe is a limited number and makes the whole thing feel a little more special.
Joe: Mhmm. Yep. The different platforms, different places you buy from, even like we see with GameStop or Walmart having a little extra upgrade with your purchase. So, it gives you a variety of buying options that you're saying.
Sean: A lot of the times where I used to see in the past was digital items. You could come with a card or an extra skin for the game. But I feel that the more the time has has passed, the more importance we've been attributing to having something exclusive and special that we can hold in our hands.
So, there's everything from physical items that could range from an art book to a figurine, soundtrack, cloth maps. I mean, you name it. We've done all kinds of stuff. What are some of the most memorable things you worked up?
Joe: Let's see. So, I really loved the Scorpitron statue we did for Wasteland 3. It's an incredible sort of enemy that we did in a Diorama scene standing on top of a bunch of rubble from the wasteland. That one was amazing. And we also got to do some short runs of that with just an all-chrome paint job or all gold paint job. So that was really fun one. We did an amazing mask replica for We Happy Few. That was really cool that came with its own stand for display. Yeah. I definitely think it's a combination of figurines, but also sometimes, like, the crazy alarm clock that we did or other sort of household items that we turn into something from the game world. It's a really fun opportunity.
Sean: Yeah. And one of the one of the more one of the most relevant type of items is one that's based on an item in the game. So, the alarm clock for We Happy Few was an item that you could find or encounter in the game. And that really is something that fans seem to appreciate the most. More than just making a figurine of the hero, lots of those supporting items or secondary items are really neat too because we can find them in the game, and it's bringing part of the game to the real world.
Joe: Definitely, like, replica weapons or we did a few grimoires or spell books from different franchises. Like, I think those also speak to the fans as well. And if done well, can be a standalone centerpiece to a collector's edition like this.
Sean: Alright. Let's talk about packaging because all those cool items need to go into something, don't they? Not only is packaging used to get the items to you safely, but it's also in our opinion, I think, pretty important to make a good first impression on when you get that item in the mail or at the store, you have something to open up the first impression counts. Right?
Joe: Yeah. Completely. So it has two important components. One is the shipping. Like you're saying, we need to protect the items, but also packaging contributes a lot to the experience of the unboxing, which is huge for collectors. And, yeah, working on packaging is definitely one of my favorite parts of the process.
Sean: What are some of the cool packaging we did? I know we mentioned the inexile or Microsoft CE we did. It had a pretty cool box.
Joe: Yep. That one, the exterior, it sorts of looked like a a package that was shipped and all beat up through the mail with a little string tie on top, and then it had postcards from the varying areas. And when you lift off that outer sleeve, you see this inside package that's meant for you, like, coming from the wasteland itself.
Sean: We also did a cool that was an influencer kit, but it was almost at the level of a collector's edition for Blizzard. Not too long ago. And that had a really neat box with the gears cut out.
Joe: Oh, yeah. That one. So we did some die cut on the the paperboard exterior that looked like gears and had really intricate design. That was all done with laser cutting. Very cool. And then that one even had an acrylic cube on top that was part of the packaging which housed the figurine. So right when you unbox it, you already see the figurine displayed on top.
Sean: So it's up to you and the team to come up with those cool packaging ideas. You know, how do you how do you do it or the process? Or how do you come up with something like putting an acrylic cube and die cutting gears out of the the front of the box?
Joe: Yeah. Definitely. So that's like I said, that's one of my favorite parts. We do a lot of research online looking for inspiration. So it's about kind of the experience that the person's gonna get and kind of displaying the item in an awesome way when you first see it. So yes, there's an element of protecting the item with things like inserts or foam blisters. But, really, it comes down to just making a bunch of mock ups and thinking about the way the items are gonna be removed or what's the first sort of touch point for the user. So maybe when they open the lid, there's a welcome note or there's a message from the developer. And then there's little trays that they can take out. And piece by piece, they sort of get down to the core of it, which is usually, you know, your center piece, so which can be a big statue, which could be some sort of replica, some sort of glass sculpture, whatever it's gonna be, that's at the root of it.
Sean: Do you think that that packaging influences the perceived value of the collector's edition?
Joe: Absolutely. So, when you're when you're going through this process, picking your materials is essential. There are some where we use more of just a plain corrugate because, yes, you can print it in color and the design shines, but definitely more cost effective all the way up through the laser cut paperboard like we were just talking about. I mean, those kinds of nice gift boxes feel smooth when you remove the lid. We include ribbons, we include premium paper stock. All of those things definitely affect perceived value, and I think can set you apart, especially if you're working with smaller quantities, you might wanna look into upping your investment on the packaging a little bit.
Sean: Okay. Let's talk about what goes inside those CE's as we call them. What's the the approach that we take to capture the the magic of the game so that we can have a collector's edition that's not only perceived as valuable but also highlights the the magic of the game.
Joe: So, yeah, a a couple of things we look at. I think Number one would be characters. Right? Like, is this a long established franchise? Is it new? Is there something recognizable? And usually, you find a lot of that in the characters. I mean, they have great outfits, great accessories. Great items. And so basing something around the character is always a great idea. But, additionally, I think just the the fan community itself. Right? If you look online in discussions, we're always hanging out in the YouTube comments are trying to follow the fans and what they really appreciate about the games. Like, from Metal Gear, for example, there's a lot of things that you wouldn't expect that that people love about it from Snake's Box to like, their their specific items from the game that they use and appreciate, or maybe it's, like, side characters as well or the group of villains. I mean, there's a lot of things you can play off of, and that can even split into different additions, for example.
Sean: And recently, we did a piece for PUBG. That wasn't a collector's edition, but it had a strong environmental element to it. It wasn't just about the the figurine. We use environments as well as just the characters.
Joe: Yeah. Absolutely. And that's, like, a Diorama sculpture is generally what we call that. And for for that one, it was really cool because the announcement was focused around this new level kind of DLC environment. And we created our own little slice of that world that we brought to life in 3d and even added some LED lights on there too.
Sean: Alright. So our job at Waypoint is to not only design these things, but also make them and even get them to their final destination. Correct. So what's the process of or what's the process that we follow when we make a a collector's edition from from start to finish? So I'll I'll kick it off with coming up with the design mock ups. So they're kind of pre beauty shots where we mock everything up to give the customer an idea of what it would look like in the end. And this helps us narrow down the the path that we're going to take for for the collectors edition items.
Joe: Exactly. So first, there's, like, some magic with our mock ups involved and it's also the science part of it, which is looking at your audience, looking at the fans that you're speaking to. And once you get a good grasp on that, thankfully, we're able to iterate quickly with our wonderful 3D team and all the artists on our team, they can really cook up different packaging designs, different ideas for the the main item, show it all together in a nice, like, beauty style shot. And I think that helps us nail down the approach. Maybe one is more playing to the magic side of things. Maybe one is more combat focused. Right? We like to show a variety in those first mock ups we deliver to the client.
Sean: So after we do all the mock ups and get everything out on late on a Friday night, there's few more steps involved to make a collector's edition. So what happens next?
Joe: So then we have to make sure that all the awesome things that we dreamed up are actually possible to make in real life which is definitely important part of the process. We work with our manufacturing team. We share schematics, measurements, materials that we wanna use, and they're able to give us pricing depending on which quantity we're targeting.
Sean: So after we figure out that we can actually do these things where we've suggested we're gonna do, we need to see how much they're going to cost. We can't do something that's cost prohibitive. And so part of the process at that point is coming up with an estimate or detailed cost sheet as we call it.
Joe: Right. So that estimate includes everything from the actual item production to samples to master cartons to carry the goods across the ocean. To shipping and duties. We really hit every part of the process and try to make sure we're covering everything because this is a long, long form project usually over the course of six to eight to twelve months. So we wanna make sure that with each step, we've covered all of our bases.
Sean: Okay. So we've got mock ups. The customers set on an idea. We are all in agreement. We've done a quote. The pricing's great. Everybody agrees. What happens after?
Joe: So after that, we're ready to go. Once we get signed off, we start with the the prototyping process, which is bringing these these designs to the real world. Maybe something's not working in real life. Maybe the branch on the tree isn't balancing properly or we need to add more weight to the base to make sure that the item is stable. Those types of thing all get worked out in the prototyping process.
Sean: Okay. So hopefully, by now, we've made a timeline and we haven't fallen too far behind our our estimated timeline dates.
Joe: Correct.
Sean: So we've got a timeline. We've got a the cost sheet. We've got the mock ups. We started working on the prototypes. Let's say we produce one prototype for each item. Then it has to get approved. And then what happens after that?
Joe: So there are a few rounds of that. But, yes, we send physical prototypes from our manufacturing facility to ourselves to review in person, feel the actual quality of materials, and then we ask for feedback. That's the next step.
Sean: And so we'll go back and forth depending on the type of customer or even the type of dev studio that we're dealing with because that's something we didn't talk about yet, but we work a lot with game publishers. But there's usually a game developer involved, and it's their baby.
Joe: Right.
Sean: And so we'll have to deal with art director or creative director on the other side. Who has his or her own opinions of what things should look like and so on. Okay. So everything goes marvelously. We've got the prototypes approved. Then we have to make what's called the preproduction sample. The kind of sample that we'll usually get if we have time and we'll send physically to the customer to approve or to give a last round of feedback on. That's the preproduction sample. After that, we work on proper production run samples, which you could consider being the first of the assembly line?
Joe: Correct. Yep. So there there are three sort of samples that we look at in the process. The first is a prototype. That one's usually rough around the edges. Maybe it doesn't have color. Maybe it's just showing the die line of the packaging cut out to us and flat proofs of the printing. Then the second one is the preproduction sample like you're saying where we try to iron out anything that was incorrect on the prototype. It's looking more and more like the final thing. And then the production sample is the first off the assembly line. So once you're at that stage, you don't wanna make any major changes and you wanna give the okay to see it through mass production.
Sean: So we're producing the production samples, and usually those are being sent at the same time as we're just doing the whole production run. So let's say we're making ten thousand units or something, we're in the process of making those ten thousand units. Where do we make most of those things?
Joe: We make most of them in China with our, you know, waypoint manufacturing team. They are used to doing a variety of items, anything from resin statues, to molded plastic, to mini desktop items, fabric, paper, you name it. They've worked with the materials. So they're really great on the engineering side to help us establish, you know, what our specs are and make those samples.
Sean: And towards the end, we start kicking into gear with regards to printing. And so this could be if we're making an art book or if we're making lithograph or any kind of printed graphic as well as the the packaging. Right?
Joe: Yes. Exactly. So paper stock is something we love to get samples of and think about, you know, what's gonna make this feel premium, what's gonna make the art pop off the page. So we definitely get to see all that stuff in real life and a lot of samples of just the raw materials get sent back and forth between our manufacturing team and our our guys over here.
Sean: And so one of the less sexy things to deal with is what we call compliance testing. A lot of the times customers and their legal departments have requirements with with regards to compliance. How does that go?
Joe: So, yeah, we wanna make sure that our supply chain and and manufacturing is is not putting out anything dangerous into the world. And there's a bunch of really important safety checks that we need to do to make sure our products comply with the standards of whatever territory it's going to be sold in.
Sean: All the items are tested. They all pass the compliance testing. They've all been manufactured. It's time to assemble them. And that's a big word, which means a lot of different things and can sometimes be simple, but sometimes be a little tricky. And so when we say assembly, it's the act of taking the premium item and all the supporting items and packaging them up in what we refer to as the retail box. After the items are all assembled, they have to get from where they are, which is usually overseas, over to us in our warehouse. What happens then?
Joe: Okay. So then they once they're finished at the factory, then they're going to the port for pickup. So we work with a couple different freight forwarders to plan out the path of our finished collector's editions to their final destination. So the first stage of that is getting it to the port for for being loaded onto the ship. So usually, these are traveling overseas on freight ships, I guess, you call them. And so there's a little bit of coordination with a freight forwarder who helps plan the schedule of when those boats are leaving from China to Los Angeles or to any of the other ports in the US. Then it's on the ocean. Usually for about six to eight weeks, it arrives at the port. There's a customs clearance process that happens there where they check the goods and make sure that it matches what you say that you're importing. And then the last step is usually by rail or truck to get it to its final destination, which is either our warehouse over here or the client's warehouse where it gets distributed eventually to retailers or directly to customers.
Sean: So it's our job to get the items there, make sure they comply with all rules and regulations, even those of the importing government or state that we we work in. Right?
Joe: Yeah. And the freight forwarder really helps out with that, but we are managing sort of paperwork at each step of the process, making sure that we accurately list and describe the items and are in compliant with the laws of that territory. So there's definitely a few checkpoints where the goods get inspected and and unpack perhaps just to view and make sure everything's okay. And then they'll be on their way to the final destination.
Sean: The items are there. There's one last thing I can think of which is sometimes during transportation, things go wrong, and we could have damaged units. So how do we deal with some of the items being damaged?
Joe: Yeah. It's definitely something that we consider in the planning process. And so what we do, it's pretty simple. You know, we order extra. Right? So we have what's called overages, which is usually a percentage, maybe three to five percent, could be more, could be less depending on the quantity that we're working with. And this makes sure that we have extra units in case of damage because some of the stuff you really just can't predict and it is prone to to damage during shipping.
Sean: Okay. Let's talk about some cost related concerns. So what are the the main variables or factors in the cost of a collector's edition? For example, the quantity we're gonna produce. The more we make, we have economies of scale. And the less we make, the higher the price of the unit. But there's other things to those are the things to consider there. So what what affects the cost of the Collector’s Edition?
Joe: Yeah. So I think the quantity one is a great one to look at and, you know, a simple example of that is if you wanna make fifty of something, but the mold to make that thing is you know, maybe fifteen or twenty thousand dollars, you're gonna have to have that cost built into your unit price. So right there, you can see how just some fixed cost such as mold or design really can elevate the price of a low quantity collector's edition. But some of the other things, I think, are choice of material. Right? At higher quantities, you get more choice for, you know, what the statue is gonna be made out of, for example. So picking a sort of a heavier more high quality material can impact that. Same same goes for paper stocks when you're looking at the packaging or whether or not you want a clear acrylic window in the packaging or extra ribbons or pull tabs or even the sleeve that you were talking about earlier. Right? So those little additions. And I think also sort of, like, attention to deep like, smaller detail things, like, finishes. Right? That's a great example. When we're talking about packaging, like, spot varnish or gold foil stamping on the outside of the box or laser cutting out of shape. Those are all awesome to have, but definitely can add up. I I think they really contribute to the experience and we hate to cut them out. But if you're looking to save costs, maybe steer clear of things like that.
Sean: You were talking about materials earlier, and I think that's an important subject that comes up every single time. So when we're talking about making a custom item whether it's an alarm clock or a figurine of a character. We often get this request like oh, I want you to 3D print them. Mhmm. So customers or a lot of people in general often are unaware of how mass production works. And so there's different materials we can use. One we hear a lot about is resin. Resins often referred to as the heavier material you're referring to. It's often used for more limited run and collectible items. It's commonly thought that the level of detail is superior to other plastics like PVC or ABS. I disagree with that. I think our PVC figurines come out just as nice as the resin ones. But oftentimes, we are asked to do lower quantities and we'll do them in resin. The setup and the tooling charges are lower in resin than they are in PVC, which is an injection molded plastic, which means there's a a ten to twenty thousand dollar metal mold that's made and takes a while to make costs a lot to make and then PVC pellets which are just small beads of plastic are melted and then injected into the mold. And so that's used for higher quantity items. But when we have lower quantity items, we could even do a hundred of something in resin as opposed to PVC where anything under three thousand units or or five thousand units becomes less interesting. Do you agree?
Joe: Yeah. Definitely. So resin and the other one, polystone. Right? Those are those heavier sort of you think of a collector statue. Like, those are commonly used to get this, like, heavy statue like effect. And then PVC, as you're describing, once you get into higher quantities, you'll definitely wanna consider it because you get more bang for your buck with that mold.
Sean: So let's talk about cool collector's editions and maybe some recommendations or some things we'd like to do or like to see more of in the collector's edition world or even stuff we've seen recently that was done by another company not by us. What do you have to say about that?
Joe: Yeah. Definitely. So we do see a lot of statues but I think there are ways to elevate that and there are a couple, you know, trends that we like and that we'd like to do more of. So one of them is the incorporation of LEDs. Right? Like making this thing light up. You could have a little street lamp and you're seeing it actually turns on. Or having a glowing base or glowing crystal. Like, that's a great one. Now, there're interesting things I've seen are use of glow in the dark paint or UV paint. There's pretty cool one from Dying Light that incorporated that. That was really awesome. And then also interesting use of magnets, something you might not consider, but attaching pieces via magnet or having things hovering via magnet or electro magnetism. We've seen some really great stuff like that recently. So those are just a couple of trends or awesome techniques you can use to elevate just a regular statue.
Sean: We did some we did some clear material the other day. I think it was for PUBG. We ended up using a clear resin and having an LED shine through it. And it was to replicate that closing circle in the Battle Royale, which was a which was a blue. So that was that was a neat material to use. We've also done glow in the dark. Resin for the game Rad, that was for Bandai Namco. And then we made figurines that would glow in the dark because the the character was radioactive and it was post apocalyptic, and she kinda had a glow to her in the game. And so we ended up using a glow in the dark material, I remember.
Joe: Yeah. That was cool. And that one had the retro action figure packaging as well, which is really fun to replicate and work on.
Sean: That's in our in our earlier days. And I remember we made both of them in my garage. It was for an influencer kit, and there wasn't that many units. There weren't that many units, maybe fifty units, I think it was. And we took that old was that brand of toys? A typical nineteen eighties brand of of toys.
Joe: The action figure was before my time, I gotta say, hahaha.
Sean: We ended up we ended up buying packaging for existing toys. It might even have been amivo packaging. I'm not mistaken. And we ended up repurposing that and reprinting the backer and and putting it in there.
Joe: Right. So it looked like something you'd see at Toys R Us in fact in the day.
Sean: And the game had an eighties feel to it. And so we used that eighties toy packaging. To highlight that part beginning.
Joe: That was a great one. And also, back to the the clear resin or clear materials, we did that on our Elden Ring lamp as well. As a way to make light shine up through the glowing runes. So I think, like, that combination of part of the statue and we actually split the 3D model. So we'll we'll, like, cut it in half, find out where we're gonna make the cut. One piece is in the clear resin, one piece is regular, and we glue them together. And then light can travel through that, or it can just look like a a crystal sphere or something.
Sean: The Elden ring mount was really cool. It the ruins had light shining through, and it also had the acrylic plate represent that going message that players leave each other in the game. I've got it on my bedside.
Joe: Yeah. Awesome.
Sean: Alright. We gotta wrap things up. So what is the future of collector's editions in your mind based on the trends that you're seeing going on right now?
Joe: That's definitely a tough question. I think lately, you know, we've been seeing more sort of replica stuff. I mean, there's awesome Fallout Mini Fridge I saw recently that, like, looked like it's from the universe, I think. But I think the replicas are a great way to go. God of War did that racing with the axe thing. And I think, like, It's really awesome. If you have a game room or if you have a great place to showcase these in your house, like feeling like you have something from the world. Right? That's always gonna be, like, majorly impactful. I don't think figures and character statues are gonna go away. I mean, it's an awesome and smaller kind of thing you can have that really, like, speaks to what the game is about in your favorite franchise. But then, the one recently that was really generated a lot of hype was the Harry Potter one with the floating wand. So I think introducing more technology into it might be, like, somewhere we see it go that use, like, a crazy electromagnetic to float the wand. And I love the idea of interactive and combination of electronics. Maybe using projectors in the statue. That was, like, something that we are experimenting with right now. Like, can we shoot a laser and have an image projected in within our actual statue, like, on the wall? So I like kind of innovative solutions like that.
Sean: For sure. I'd like to see more interactivity. To certain sentences that it's programmed to understand. Nothing too Terminator like or advanced, but something cool that you can interact with. That'll respond to you.
Alright, Joe. Thanks for your time. Thanks for your expertise and great Side Quest Sessions.
Joe: Yes, my pleasure. Thank you, Sean.
Sean: Thanks for tuning in you guys. If you think these videos are cool, drop us a like. And let us know what you think down below.
