Hasbro Confirms U.S. Nerf Arenas and Opening Date
Grabbed from the Toy Book! Follow the link to read more.
I will update this post with a bit more info later.
It’s later!
“KINGSMEN AND HASBRO BRING THE NERF ACTION EXPERIENCE TO THE UNITED STATES”
Singapore, June 4, 2019 – Kingsmen Creatives Ltd. (“Kingsmen”) (“金明创新”), and its subsidiaries (the “Group”), a leading communication design and production group, today announced that Kingsmen Xperience, Inc., its US-based subsidiary has entered into a licensing agreement with global play and entertainment company Hasbro, Inc. (“Hasbro”, NASDAQ: HAS) to expand its current licensing agreement to open NERF FEC attractions in the United States market (“US”).
Mr. Andrew Cheng, Group Chief Executive Officer of Kingsmen, said, “NERF is a well-established brand that commands a global following and has a strong presence in the US. Its appeal as a popular lifestyle brand that encourages social and outdoor play is inter-generational. The opening of NERF FEC’s in the US will redefine how fans can experience the brand as they find themselves immersed in exclusive NERF worlds. We look forward to breaking new ground as we engage audiences in a truly one of a kind experience.”
Expanding the licensing deal for NERF FEC attractions into the US market allows Kingsmen to increase the global reach of the attraction, which has garnered significant international interest. The world’s first NERF FEC will open in Singapore in 2019, with the first US location to open in late 2020.
“When we first announced that Kingsmen was bringing the NERF experience to Singapore, we heard from fans around the globe that they were excited about the possibility of more locations around the world,” said Casey Collins, SVP & GM Consumer Products, Hasbro. “The work Kingsmen has done with the upcoming opening of the NERF Action Xperience in Singapore is outstanding, and we cannot wait for fans and families from all over the US to have their own experience in their back yard, because for us and our fans, it’s NERF or Nothin’!”
My thoughts:
Considering this news from a few months ago, how does it all fit? Kilburn is already planning a Power Rangers Live Tour with Hasbro and now Kingsman is involved with the Family Entertainment Centers along with Kilburn? None of this is in my realm of expertise but I can see a few different scenarios:
- Kilburn handles a lot of licensed/brand property for the centers, like gaming, Transformers related attractions, GI Joe, and other similar properties. Kingsman handles the Nerf arena build outs (unlikely, considering Kilburn has “Nerf” among their clients.
- Kilburn lost the license and Kingsman had to step in to take care of the Nerf part of the FECs.
- The Nerf arenas are separate from the Hasbro entertainment centers. Not too sure about this either considering Nerf also shows up in other Hasbro properties.
One nugget of info I didn’t really expand on is that the Kilburn attractions have a “multiple-location rollout across North America” planned. Whether this is an all-encompassing Hasbro location or Nerf arenas separated from Hasbro brands, that remains to be seen.
The Kingsman Xperience project is slated for late next year in the U.S., and Singapore’s location opens in 2019, with no mention of multiple locations. At the very least when we see the Singapore location open, that might give us an idea of what to expect. Considering the accessibility they will need and the nature of the target audiences, I urge folks to keep an open mind.
I do have questions:
- How will these impact the existing arena/mobile party market? Nerf knows about them, it’s a growing market that’s hard to miss.
- Will these be glorified demo showrooms, or will players be allowed to bring their own blasters (I expect a safety check for that).
- Multiple locations? Who gets the first wave?
There are others, but I won’t bore you with that. Got a question of your own? Post in the comments!
Foam From Above 