Fantasy Flight Games will release the Fantasy Flight Media Center, a free iPad-based device for in-store marketing of its games, in November.  The device will play continuous loops of trailers, news, and visuals for FFG games, offer interactive access to content including tutorials, and continuously update content using a wireless Internet connection to FFG servers.  This will offer retailers a way to deliver promotional content about FFG games directly to consumers at the point of sale. 

The company has completed a one-month test with a number of retailers, and sales increases in the range of 30% were reported, even for retailers that already had strong sales of FFG games.    

The Fantasy Flight Media Center consists of an iPad locked in a black, shiny case the size of FFG’s Arkham Horror game box, with speakers and access to controls.    The case can be bolted to the retail shelf to secure it from theft or damage.  The software was developed in-house by FFG.

Using the touchscreen, users can call up content about specific games, including trailers and tutorial videos. 

We talked to FFG VP of Marketing Communications Steve Horvath about the development of the device.  “The genesis of this was that we get universal acclaim on our videos that we do, our trailers, tutorials, and so on,” he said.  We’ve sent out thousands of DVDs to retailers over the years, but the problem with that is that they’re static, and then two weeks after we burn that DVD and send it out we do a new trailer and the store doesn’t have it.  With the Fantasy Flight Media Center, from the time we put a new video up, that trailer will be up in the store within an hour.”

To qualify for Fantasy Flight Media Center, retailers will need a WiFi connection in the store, a commitment to run the device during retail hours (content updates will be monitored to ensure compliance), and a one-time restock of $999 wholesale in FFG games (to ensure sufficient stock on hand to reap the benefits of the device, according to the company). 

FFG will maintain ownership of the device while in the retailers’ store.  If it is not used as agreed, the company will ask for its return.

The first wave of devices will be shipped to North American retailers in the first week of November, and to retailers in Europe and Asia in early 2011.  It’s planned as an ongoing program.