Kolex Plans On-Demand Collectible Services for Esports Organizations

Kolex plans launch of on-demand collectibles services starting with a partnership with SK Gaming. Credit: Kolex

Collectibles company Kolex announced Wednesday the upcoming launch of new print-to-order and print-on-demand services aimed at commemorating esports players and teams. The goal of this new program, launching “later this quarter,” is to support teams with additional fan engagement options and scalable revenue streams, according to an announcement.

“Every collectible represents a moment in time. We let teams and players decide which moments they want to celebrate and memorialize. These are the Mickey Mantle or Michael Jordan Rookie Cards of esports and looking back in 50 or 100 years we want them to serve the same purpose as time capsules and keepsakes for the sports they represent.” said Kolex Co-Founder and CEO Mark Donovan, in a release. 

According to the announcement, these new services will enable esports teams to choose and commemorate their players, teams, and biggest moments in their competitive history, by creating limited edition cards. Teams can work with Kolex to choose the design, the data they will contain, the number of cards created, and how they are marketed/sold to their fans (either directly through Kolex’s platform or by setting up their own storefronts alongside their other fan offerings). Selected cards can be made available for pre-order, and fulfilled as physical cards after the pre-order window closes, or distributed as a digital-first card with the ability to be printed (on-demand) whenever a collector chooses to do so.

When they are sold, these physical and digital cards will be connected through Kolex’s technology platform, with teams and the company sharing whatever revenue is generated. More importantly, having an on-demand solution for printing physical cards allows for more control and helps teams avoid issues related to “paper waste and excessive duplicate cards,” the company says.

These new services are scheduled to launch with the first print-on-demand cards being showcased and handed out as promo cards at the SK Gaming booth during gamescom in Cologne, Germany.

“Last year, we launched a set of hybrid trading cards with Kolex for gamescom and we are happy to do so again this year. With our long-standing team history and Kolex’s new services, we are looking forward to launching on-demand trading cards with Kolex in the future,” says Alexander Müller, CEO of SK Gaming, one of the launch partner organizations. 

Since its launch in 2018, Kolex has provided esports and pop-culture fans with hybrid collectibles alongside partners such as ESL FACEIT Group, DC Comics, Steve Aoki, SK Gaming, King’s League, Tencent, and more.  The company creates these physical trading cards with a connected digital experience that lets fans collect and earn rewards on the Kolex platform through social features such as quests, leaderboards, fantasy games, and more.

More details about these new offerings for esports teams can be found at www.kolex.gg.