In an earnings call yesterday, Funko executives said they expect big things from their entry into the board game market.
The company launched their first game, Funkoverse, at San Diego Comicon last month, then followed that up with their first exhibitor presence at Gen Con this year.
“This is just the beginning for us in the board game business,” said Brian Mariotti, Funko’s director and CEO. “And we think in a few years, Funko games will be a significant player in the games and puzzle category, a category that is growing larger and faster than the category we are already in.”
Funko President, Andrew Perlmutter said they were enthusiastic about the retailer reception, and the margin potential for the games. The company also said they were blown away by the reception they received at Gen Con for Funkoverse.
Perlmutter said that even with the intricate nature and low margin of Funkoverse, with two miniature vinyl pops included, it would be a margin positive product for the company.
When asked about the games, Perlmutter explained, “When you are talking about the over all games system that we’ve created, customers will do a number of things with these in the after market. If your a Harry Potter fan and you want to buy the Harry Potter game, that’s fantastic. I’m a DC comic fan. I’m going to buy that DC comics game. What we decide to do with that in the aftermarket is really up to us, but I can tell you the options are limitless. And I think people are starting to catch on to that.”
He finished the call by saying, “There’s a lot of opportunities coming our way outside of this initial offering.”