Toy World spoke to Dom Galizia, senior marketing manager at Konami, and Adrian Fox, organised play manager, about the ongoing success of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG.
Konami enters 2022 off the back of an exceptionally strong 12-month performance for its Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. The year saw record numbers of players participate in online duel events and a slew of impressive new product releases, meaning excitement for the year ahead, and the opportunities it presents, has never been higher.
Dom told us: “The Yu-Gi- Oh! TCG performed exceedingly well across the entire year, thanks to unique and hugely popular products like Ghosts From the Past and the Egyptian God Decks. The rarity and configuration of the contents have really been diversified meaning the different card presentations have become ever more desirable, and demand for them continues to grow. ”
“Official Tournament Stores are a fundamental part of how we foster the ever-growing Yu-Gi- Oh! TCG community, providing fans with spaces in which they can come together, play, and discover unique and exclusive events,” explained Adrian. “We support our Official Tournament Stores by offering them a wide range of exclusive, branded promotional items to assist them with running events and offering demos. It’s very important to us that players can feel part of a dedicated community, which is why our programmes are designed cater for players of all skill levels.”
New releases, including booster packs, special rarity cards and collectible tins, were unveiled in 2021, and all had a major impact on sales. “We see incredible reactions from our community on social media,” said Dom. “It has been an important source of hype and excitement for our products in recent years, especially during months where in-person contact has been limited.”
“We’re very happy with the way Konami’s relationship with the fan community, and the growth of the product line, has been progressing,” Dom concluded. “The overall brand is in such good shape, and this is only bolstered by the likes of the upcoming digital titles connected to the TCG, such as Yu-Gi- Oh! Master Duel. We can’t wait to keep this momentum going throughout 2022.”
To read the full interview, which appeared in the February edition of Toy World, click here.
