The popularity of online gaming, especially free ones like Fortnite, has given rise to the concept of in-game purchases. A lot of those are things like weapons to use in the game or outfits for the character.
With that popularity, brands have started putting their own “merchandise” in video games for characters to wear, like Nike-branded digital merchandise. Ralph Lauren – which dipped its toes in the virtual world before – is bringing digital merchandise to the real world, too.
The Polo P-Wing Boot, a real shoe modeled after one that it created for Fortnite last year, is hitting the market for $250 in a limited batch of 200. David Lauren, chief innovation officer for Ralph Lauren, is confident that the limited release will sell out quickly.
Ralph Lauren are launching the Polo x Fortnite P-Wing in physical form 🎮 https://t.co/yZDT0ygd0p pic.twitter.com/lLxFSRGuzM
— Sneaker Freaker (@snkrfrkrmag) August 2, 2023
“Our gut is that it will be available for just a few minutes, because it’s the kind of thing that will sell out,” he said, according to Glossy. “Our hope is that this will be something that will go quickly, if people are engaged with ‘Fortnite’ and engaged with the experience.”
As part of the release, Ralph Lauren is also creating a branded in-game experience called “Race to Greatness by Polo Ralph Lauren,” in which a virtual island is full of things like branded runway shows and other advertisements for the boot.
.@RalphLauren is expanding its relationship with @FortniteGame. https://t.co/pOeDpjEahW
— WWD (@wwd) August 1, 2023
“We want players to be amazed when they first see it, and to be able to actually walk around it and examine it and see all the details through ‘Fortnite,'” Beyond Creative CEO Kasper Weber told Glossy. “It’s located in what we’ve called the P-Wing Building. The shoe is in the middle of it, and you can walk around it and look through the glass.”
As virtual reality grows, too, these kinds of installations that blur the line between real life and the digital world will become more common. At the very least, brands are recognizing that customers want to show off their favorite brands on their digital personas the same way they do in real life, and this is the latest example of bridging that gap with real merchandise that matches digital merchandise.
