Pin badge and merch brand The Koyo Store is teaming up with UK esports tournament providers, teams, influencers and others for different custom product lines.
The company – which launched last year – is offering partners design and production support, plus a consultancy offering for those looking for more unusual merch.
It’s already producing limited edition pin badges and achievement coins for the likes of ESL UK, Fnatic, Ninjas In Pyjamas, DarkZero Esports, the Esports Awards, Special Effect and Vexed Gaming, and is targeting others.
The Koyo Store has also produced items for Rainbow Six Siege, Street Fighter, Wargaming and FaceIt to provide coins for Counter-Strike tournaments.
In addition to creating bespoke products for others, Koyo’s retail proposition includes on-site sales through its own stands or merch outlets, plus an online store.
“Having worked alongside a number of Esports teams and tournaments over the past few months, we recognise that there is huge demand for bespoke event-specific merch,” said Koyo MD Lee Townsend (pictured below).
“Our bespoke service provides a unique opportunity for Esports tournaments and personalities to create their own merchandise to promote and celebrate their offerings. Turn a logo, image or likeness into something physical – whether that’s a pin badge, collectible challenge coin, key ring or more.”
Speaking to Esports News UK, Lee added: “We’re really keen to work closely with esports teams, events and organisations on custom solutions that suit their own fans, audiences and, indeed, playing staff.
“A great example would be the work we’re doing with Vexed Gaming, a British team that happens to be one of the more creative and forward thinking esports organisations, on a range of bespoke merchandise. We can’t say too much now, but it will be something that will appeal to a very different audience and will open up a new set of opportunities for Koyo as well as Vexed, attracting a very different esports fan base.
“In terms of how the commercials of such deals work, we’re very flexible to how our partners operate – we can look at both royalty and revenue share models, for example. Ultimately, it’s about what works best for our partners and their fans – too often we see ‘same, same but different’ merch in esports, when what we really need to do is offer fans and participants merch that screams ‘I was there!'”
Earlier this year, The Koyo Store created a one-off pin for UK games charity SpecialEffect’s “Chicken for Charity” fundraiser event, in collaboration with PUBG and Sega.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
