MERCH MAKERS
CRYPTOZOIC ENTERTAINMENT PUTS FANS FIRST Cryptozoic keeps fans coming back for more with games, trading cards, and collectibles. by Jackie Cucco, senior editor
"F
ans first.” That’s the slogan at Cryptozoic Entertainment — the maker of games, trading cards, and collectibles based on some of your favorite fandoms — and we couldn’t agree more. Whether you’re a comic book fiend, a Walking Dead devotee, or an Outlander binge-watcher, Cryptozoic is tapping into the passions of fans and collectors far and wide to create the content that consumers want. It all started with World of Warcraft (WoW), the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) from Blizzard Entertainment. The year was 2010, and Cryptozoic had an exclusive deal to make a WoW Trading Card Game. That was Cryptozoic’s very first product, which held a special place in the hearts of WoW fans, who are a dedicated bunch. At the time, WoW held the Guinness World Record for the most popular MMORPG game in the world, with 10 million subscribers. Some could say that Cryptozoic played its cards right because what started as a trading card game company branched out into geeky games. “Very early on, we got access to some excellent IPs, such as The Walking Dead, DC Comics through Warner Bros.’ Smallville, and some popular fandoms,” says Amanda Barker, associate product manager at Cryptozoic. ”One of our big hits early on was the DC Deck-Building Game. That has been one of our most popular products. Still to this day, I sell copies of the original DC Deck-Building Game.” As much as Cryptozoic invests in its fans, the fans show the love right back. The company tapped into its fanbase in the past to help bring some of its creative projects to life with four different Kickstarter projects to fund games based on Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, The Walking Dead, and an original intellectual property called Cult. “As far as our Kickstarters go, we started with Ghostbusters in early 2015. That was one of the biggest Kickstarters that we’ve ever done,” Barker says. “The original one was in the top-five, highest-grossing games on Kickstarter at the time. That has definitely been a really cool feather in our cap to have.” Ghostbusters: The Board Game garnered 8,396 backers, who pledged more than $1.5 million to help fund the game in 30 days. It’s an episodic adventure game for one to four players who are tasked with busting ghosts and sealing gates to the Spirit World. The game is customizable, cooperative, and highly replayable — so replayable that fans are still passionate about it four years after the Kickstarter. “We still have reviewers covering that game simply because they enjoy it,” Barker says. It features unique illustrations and figures based on original artwork and designs by Dan
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Wonder Woman Movie Collectible Golden Goddess