Under the special policy, Pyramid Arcade will only be available via e-commerce from “Chosen Online Retailers,” which will include only "Marbles: The Brain Store" website and Looney Labs’ own site. Retailers that violate the policy and sell online will lose their ability to purchase the game.
Looney Labs CEO Kristin Looney explained the rationale for the single-product policy. "We're doing this in order to encourage brick-and-mortar stores to help us build community around this unique game system," she said. "Pyramid Arcade is a game that will thrive in an environment of demonstrations, tournaments, game nights, and visually appealing displays. We need to protect our brand equity as we work toward making Pyramid Arcade an evergreen product in our line."
Looney told ICv2 that she had no problem with the online retailers that sell Looney Labs’ other games. “I love them,” she said of the group. “They sell lots of Fluxx for me.” She said that Pyramid Arcade, which she described as designer Andy Looney’s “magnum opus,” required special handling because of its unique nature, which had required 25 years to create. She noted that a handful of online retailers had already begun taking orders for the game, and said that the company would do what it could to make those customers satisfied despite being unable to buy the game from their preferred source.
The full policy and lists of Chosen and Unauthorized Online Retailer lists will be available on the company’s website.
In recent months, Asmodee North America and Privateer have also instituted new rules for online retailing of their products (see "Privateer Axes Offending Online Retailers" and "Asmodee, Fantasy Flight, Days of Wonder Consolidate").
