Cryptozoic
Announces Exclusive Partnership
with
Alliance Game Distributors
Cryptozoic Entertainment is excited to announce a
partnership with Alliance Game Distributors and Diamond Comic Distributors. Effective
immediately, Alliance and Diamond will be the sole distributor of Cryptozoic
board games to hobby retailers in the United States.
The World of Warcraft Trading Card Game and non-sport
collectible trading cards will continue to be distributed through existing
distribution channels. Cryptozoic will continue to distribute board games and
other products to Canada through Grosnor Distribution, Universal Distribution,
and Lion Rampant Imports. Other
international distribution channels will remain unchanged as well.
This partnership will enable Cryptozoic to deliver some
exciting new promotional programs to retailers and will ensure consistent and
direct support for hobby stores.
“We are very confident that our new partnership will allow
us to focus on creating incredible licensed and original board games with the
marketing materials and programs to support them. Alliance will help us reduce product
shortages, execute effective promotional programs, and provide exceptional
support for every hobby store,” said Cryptozoic Entertainment’s National Hobby
Channel Manager, Sara Erickson. “We want to ensure that retailers and consumers
see a tangible benefit from this change. We have outlined several new programs
that are only possible with the outreach and coordination efforts offered by
Alliance.”
Daniel Hirsch, President of Alliance Game Distributors adds,
“We are pleased to be given this opportunity to provide an enhanced level of
service to Cryptozoic and to the core market as a whole. We look forward to
distributing an exciting and expanding line-up of Cryptozoic products, and
promoting unique and innovative programs with them!"
Upcoming retailer promotions include the Product Swap
Program which will allow hobby stores to purchase select Cryptozoic products
with the ability to return unsold quantities for credit towards other
Cryptozoic products. The Game Premier Night Program is another upcoming program
that allows retailers to sell a new game up to one week before the release
date. Players will enjoy a retailer exclusive event that will be supported with
free promotional materials included in a Game Premier Night Kit available
through Alliance. These programs and other upcoming retailer promotions will be
described in detail during Cryptozoic’ s GAMA Trade Show seminars in Las Vegas
March 18-22nd.
F.A.Q.
Effective March 11th,
2013, Cryptozoic Entertainment will be distributing board games exclusively
through Alliance Games Distributors & Diamond Comic Distributors for hobby
stores based in the United States of America.
Q: As a hobby store owner, how
will this change benefit me and my customers?
A: Easy access to great
promotional programs and more consistent supply will help you sell more games
and ensure that your customers are able to purchase the games they want.
When we have a program to offer,
Alliance will help us advertise and will make it very easy for you to sign up.
All you have to do to email or call your Alliance rep to request information or
promotional items. We have met with the Alliance sales team to find out what we
can do to help them help you. Need a poster to brighten your store? Just call
your rep. Want to sign up for a Game Premier event? Send a quick email. It’s
just that easy.
With only one distributor, we
can also receive accurate data about how quickly our games are selling so that
we can reprint popular games and get them back in stock quickly. Some of our
games, including The Walking Dead Board Game, are so popular that we are not
able to produce enough to fill demand. We may still run into these issues but
at least we will have a better ability to forecast and reduce these shortages.
Consolidating all of our games into a few Alliance and Diamond warehouses also
avoids issues where one distributor is over stocked and another is sold out. If
there are copies available, we want you to be able to order them.
Q: What specific new programs
will be offered as a result of this change?
A: We have a slew of new
promotional programs that will help retailers sell our games.
One of the most exciting is our
Product Swap Program. We will be offering retailers a chance return unsold
copies of select games during Q4 this year in exchange for any other Cryptozoic
product. As part of our celebration for the upcoming movie, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, we
will be offering with program for any of our Middle EarthTM themed games. This is a program that we
have been wanting to do for a long time but were not able to execute without
the help of Alliance’s organized sales team.
Another program beginning in May
will be the Game Premier program. Much like a movie premier, we want to help
you offer a preview event for our upcoming games. Stores will be invited to
purchase the Game Premier kit including one case of the new game, a reduced
cost demo copy, a poster, promo cards for each purchased game (when available)
and an instruction sheet. This kit will arrive approximately one week before
the street date for the new game. Allowing your players to demo and purchase
the game before the street date will help you create an exciting event. This
program will be available for some of our highly anticipated games such as The
Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Board Game and Night Eternal, A True Blood® Card
Game.
Other programs will be announced
and detailed during our retailer seminars at the upcoming GAMA Trade Show in
Las Vegas March 18th-22nd.
Q: Cryptozoic has some really
exciting new games coming out soon. I’ve already pre-ordered these games with
another distributor. Do I need to re-order these games from Alliance?
A: Yes. All future releasing
products will be available only through Alliance or Diamond. We don’t want
you or your customers to miss out on any
of the products releasing in the next few months so make sure to contact your Alliance
or Diamond rep today!
Q: Where can I order World of
Warcraft TCG products or Cryptozoic Trading Cards?
A: This exclusive agreement only
relates to upcoming Cryptozoic Board Games. Please feel free to continue
purchasing World of Warcraft TCG or non-sport collectible trading card products
through your current distributor.
Q: If I don't have an account
with Alliance or Diamond, how do I get one?
A: Simply contact Marc Aquino, Vice President of
Sales and Customer Service for Alliance at 800-NOW-GAME x9238 or via email at mla2@alliance-games.com, and he will
gladly help you with your application.
Q: Will I be able to order
directly from Cryptozoic Entertainment?
A: No, Alliance and Diamond are
the only source for Cryptozoic board games to hobby game retailers in the
US.
Q: If I have additional
questions, who should I contact?
A: At Cryptozoic Entertainment,
contact Sara Erickson, National Hobby Channel Manager at 949-385-6003 or via
email at: sara.erickson@cryptozoic.com
For Alliance, contact Mike Webb,
VP of Marketing and Data Services at 800-NOWGAME x9239
or via email at mew@alliance-games.com.
About Cryptozoic
Entertainment
Founded in 2010, Cryptozoic Entertainment, Inc. is a premier
developer and publisher of original and licensed board games, card games,
comics and trading cards, including The Walking Dead™ Board Game, the World of
Warcraft® Trading Card Game, The Lookouts comic book, and The Big Bang Theory
Party Game. Following a philosophy and core principle of "Fans
First," the dedicated gamers and fans of the Cryptozoic Entertainment team
are focused on producing fun and amazing products along with epic events that
bring all gaming fans together as part of the Cryptozoic community. Visit www.cryptozoic.com for additional product
and event information.
©2012 Cryptozoic Entertainment. All rights reserved.
About Alliance Game
Distributors
Alliance Game Distributors is a recognized leader in Hobby
Distribution, offering an exceptional range of products, services, and programs
to adventure-hobby retailers throughout North America and the world. With 5
sales offices and 4 warehouses in the US, the company takes pride in providing
the best service, finest selection, and best support in the industry. For
additional information, visit www.alliance-games.com.
About Diamond Comic
Distributors
Diamond is at the nexus of comics and pop culture. Based in
Baltimore, MD, DCD is the world's largest distributor of English-language comic
books, graphic novels, and related pop-culture merchandise, serving thousands
of retailers worldwide. For more information, visit Diamond on the web at
www.diamondcomics.com.
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