Made in collaboration with ASUS’s Republic of Gamers, Swedish furniture company Ikea launches new line of affordable gaming furniture.
Republic of Gamers is a brand under ASUS, who are among the industry leaders in pc gaming products. Though this is not Ikea’s first attempt at gaming related furniture, this is only the second time it has specifically marketed it as such. In the past Ikea has released an Animal Crossing themed catalogue.
The new gaming line is currently only available in China and its goal is to provide affordable options for all gamers. While the line includes larger pieces, such as gaming chairs and desks, Ikea have also opted to include smaller accessories in the mix. Prices range from as little as ¥9 to well into the thousands. Each purchase of an Ikea gaming product currently comes with a mouse pad valued at ¥49. The line, which includes: MATCHSPEL, UTESPELARE, UPPSPEL, and LANESPELARE, focuses on ventilation to prevent PC overheating. Much of the lines products also include strips of red, a signature feature of gaming products. Along with the line, Ikea is also offering Esports product purchase consultations to help customers realize their “gaming dreams.”
Ikea has stated its goal is to perfectly accommodate the PC gaming lifestyle, whilst still mixing in effortlessly with other furniture in the home. Ikea have acknowledged it is still fledgling players in the gaming world, leading to their team up with Republic of Gamers. Though there hasn’t been an Ikea and Republic of Gamers collaboration in the past, ROG are no strangers to the world of gaming furniture and apparel. Republic of Gamers has its own line of gaming accessories and chairs.
While this is certainly not the first time a mainstream company has collaborated on gaming lifestyle products, gamers are likely to be thrilled by the news of this affordable line. The product collection seems to be targeting older gamers, whom might have a greater interest in maintaining the feng shui of their living room. The effort Ikea have gone to to understand the gamer target audience should not be dismissed. Ikea have clearly fleshed out the new designs with long gaming sessions in mind, even including ventilation to reduce back sweat.
Still, there is a risk of gamers seeing this as unnecessary pandering from the Swedish company. This may be especially true due to the company trying to maintain mainstream relevant designs with the niche products.
The IKEAxROG gaming product line is currently available for purchase in china only.
Source: IKEA
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