(Jan. 24, 2009 6:43 PM)Bey Brad Wrote: For Hasbro to hire me to work on the Beyblade project
Dream job?
I know Hasbro has started doing a question and answer section on
www.transformers.com in response to the large centralised [adult, although I use the term lightly] communities on TFW2005, Seibertron and Allspark, which shows that they are interested in people's opinions and reassuring their communities about their products.
The questions are vetted and cherry-picked, but it shows a real commitment to at least trying to deliver on what the fans want.
If it can be demonstrated that we have a single, unified, and most importantly mature and civil voice, that is representative of the concerns of their target demographics, then we may well be able to initiate a productive dialogue with them.
My guess is it was the marketting guys responding to the OtC criticisms, rather than anyone who might do the engineering*. (*making the stadiums etc)
If we can at least get some ideas like Tornado ridges and deeper dishes passed onto the designers, and convince them that there's money in it, then there's a good chance they'll take an interest.
(Jan. 24, 2009 1:34 PM)pegasis Wrote: like wut u said guys plus that u can see beyblade stadiums build in the floor or build in a table in malls,parks and streets...so we can blade anytime anywhere!
Unfortunately stationary stadiums are a no-no. If it's located on someone's premises then any trouble surrounding it becomes their problem, which they don't want.
Nobody wants something that is likely to attract a crowd of noisy arguing kids to their establishment, be they a charity, a public institution, or a shop.
It would be like having a vending machine that you couldn't make money from. Nobody wants to invest time/money/space in something that isn't a potential revenue stream.
Also, if they were outside then they might collect rainwater, which could then stagnate becoming not only highly unpleasant to smell, but also un-hygienic.
I think that increasing the portability of stadiums, and improving their market penetration to make them more common, and therefore more convenient to get hold of at any given time, is probably the best we could hope for.
Also, if it's stationary it's likely to be vandalised/defaced/"violated" in various ways. Never underestimate the capabilities ofa bored chav.
(Jan. 24, 2009 10:36 PM)Pichuscute Wrote: This, too. And to host tourny's everywhere when MFB reaches overseas.
Unfortunately tournaments are expensive to organise and host, especially in the modern climate of frivolous litigation. Add to that the recession kicking in, and it seems unlikely that we'll see any tournaments until the product becomes a proven success.
I think a more realistic aspiration would be to hope for Hasbro to support smaller local tournaments initially, by offering suggestions and materials to help the budding organiser get people together at a particular time and place.
As a community, there is a lot that we can do to help with this kind of thing, not only at a grass-roots level, but also in terms of creating resources that Hasbro could direct people towards, and of which we can raise awareness ourselves.
The WBS is probably the biggest thing in terms of motivating people to hold these tournaments and events. It's great because it will grow via word-of mouth, as people will want to play as many ranked matches as they can, and also because it encourages competition.
I honestly believe that Hasbro/Takara/Tomy might rip it off, or if it gets enough registrants they might even step in to cover hosting costs, because it really has the power to get people playing.
(Jan. 25, 2009 1:32 AM)NeoBlader Wrote: Like Anu to have beyblade as a professional sport or at least recognised worldwide as a proper hobby and not a toy. Also proper beyblade shops where they sell custom parts and stuff.
It will never be a professional sport.
It is a toy.
However, I would like to see it marketed as a hobby more than the fad it turned into last time around.
Games like Yu-gi-oh, Magic, and so on thrive constantly because it's a hobby rather than just a way for a toy maker to shift some plastic and make ten bux.
Hobbies tend to be viewed in a much more positive light by kids' parents, and they tend to have a lasting appeal. Those two factors alone should be enough to get the money-men interested in steering Beyblade in the direction that other hobby-products have taken.
I don't think Beyblades will ever be sold as seperate parts, because it would be a lot more difficult to shift the generic parts like Weight Disks and Tracks. Almost the only products that would move are Attack Rings and Wheels.
Since profit is made on the package as a whole, it's more profitable to shift a lot of generic parts with ver few variations, that don't require massive amounts of research and development to create, than to move the same number, or even slightly more, of Wheels where every single one is different and has to be developed individually.
(Jan. 23, 2009 8:55 PM)Rocky Wrote: To be able to see kids (and teenagers) walk down the streets 'blade in hand'.
I believe the main factors preventing people from taking their blades with them when they go out are the following:
1. Fear of negative judgement or being ostracized for "playing with kids toys".
2. Fear of loss or theft.
3. Lack of convenience.
To address this Hasbro and/or Takara/Tomy ought to develop some kind of belt-pouch, or carrying case/bag for: at least one Beyblade, at least one Winder [stored straight, not bent], at least one Shooter, and ideally a Grip aswell.
It should be relatively innocuous, either black or grey/silver in colour, without any visible logos.
It should close with some kind of clicking mechanism to provide an audible warning in the event of pick-pocketing.
It shouldn't get in the way of sitting down, or protrude too far from the body.
It would probably be best offered as part of a special starter set, otherwise it would likely be overlooked as I doubt that retailers would be overly enthusiastic about stocking it as a standalone product.
I think this would get people carrying their blades with them more.
(Jan. 24, 2009 1:49 AM)Aqua_24 Wrote: But it would be so awesome if takara released a one-time limited edition (Dragoon, Dranzer, Draciel & Driger MFB).
Count on it happening.
Hasbro LOEV trademarks. (there was a time when they didn't give a rat's bum, but they learned the carp out of that lesson)
When I say they love trademarks, I mean it.
This is the company that released 5 transformers with the same name in the space of two years because:
1. They have to use the name at least once every 5 years or so, or they lose exclusive rights to it.
2. They like to re-use old trademarks rather than register new ones.
On top of that, they know that there are teenagers and kids [and to a lesser extent adults] out there that remember that stuff very fondly, and will recognise the brand based on those particular characters.
These are the people whom, when buying for younger siblings or their offspring, will remember that "dragoon is the one that beat everybody", or that "Driger is the cool kung-fu tiger one", and so on.
Hasbro would be retarded to the point of becoming objectively sub-human (NB: This is a joke, I am not a nazi) if they made no plans or effort to capitalise on that kind of character/brand recognition.
In fact, I am almost certain that L-Drago will be renamed to Dragoon when Hasbro releases it.
Aqua_24 Wrote:Yeah a magazine would be really cool. I actually suggested WBO making a beyblade magazine as one of the ways to raise money but people didn't really seem interesting my idea LOL
Unfortunately, making it a paid service/product puts an onus on the creators to deliver worthy content on a regular basis.
Since most people here have either school or a full-time job, it would be very difficult to ensure a constant output of high quality material.
That would also conflict with the interests of the wiki, since any magazine articles are likely to be duplicates of information from the Wiki, and surely we can't expect people to pay for things that should be put on the wiki as soon as they're written up.