So, I was looking at theforce.net and I saw a link to this this "Hasbro Fall 2007 Analyst Event Audio." It's 2.5 hours long, but I don't have anything better to do tonight so I will post a full summary in this topic once I'm done.
For now, however, I'll just post some notes that actually pertain to Nerf:
-Since 2001, the Nerf brand is up 274% (Wow!)
-Recently, Hasbro signed a deal with EA to make games of Hasbro brands. They showed a picture (which I couldn't see, unfortunately) of "the EA team working on Nerf [the video game]." I don't know if we actually knew about this or not, but it's confirmed now. The COO describes the game:
Boys and girls will be able to "run through reality-based worlds that they botg live in and dream of. Imagine running with your blasters, conquering a continuous range of challenges." He then continues, saying that the Rhode Island-based developers of our real-life Nerf blasters, are "working on a blaster that will work in connection with the unique Nintendo Wii Controller. Take the Nerf blaster, detach the firing mechanism, snapthe Wii controller into place, and now you're playing the Nerf video game with real Nerf hardware."
Weird...I was thinking of integrating something into Nintendo's Zapper peripheral...That's all for now, but I'm only about 40 minutes into the 150 minute webcast. I'll edit as soon as I hear anything else that's big news...they say they'll be demonstrating new products, so here's hoping for new news on the (real) blaster front. A confirmation on the Recon's release date would be nice...
Update: Finally got to Nerf segment at ~1hr 6 min. Be right back with info...
-At the beginning of the segment, something funny happened (the audience laughed, anyway)...I figure someone shot the guy with a Nerf blaster.
-Nerf has become the number one brand of sports toys (for boys, ages 9-11)
-He mentioned the new "Vulcan," which is their "biggest, baddest nerf blaster ever" (speculate away, because that's all the info they gave).
-They will continue to market the N-Strike line's rail system, which has an install base of 10 million blasters (wow, again). I think this means they will sell more accessories, although whether that means stuff like sights or new sets like that are similar to the Disk Shot game
-They have "developed a range for college-age and young adults." Sounds like us, doesn't it? I wonder if they might lighten up on the air restriction...
-They're launching an "Office Tag" line; this actually be the same thing that they were talking about being for college-aged kids, or maybe not. He mentioned back to school time, but that doesn't necessarily mean a Fall 2008 release. The whole time, they have been harping on looking to the long term instead of just 2008. I doubt they will lighten the air restriction on Office Tag, since "office" suggests indoor play. Wouldn't want to break anything expensive, now, would we?
-He stated that while Nerf has grown by a factor of five in the United States, it's much more limited everywhere else. So, after some research, Hasbro has decided to start a push in several countries (they mentioned Russia at the beginning of the presentation, and China in particular for Nerf), with an emphasis on the Dart Tag line.
-Nerf "delivers the action boys want in a way moms around the world approve and appreciate."
-A licensing initiative will encourage consumers to experience the brand in new ways. He's probably mainly talking about the video game; they've also been harping on making their brands more "immersive."
I finished the Nerf segment (from about 1hr 8minutes to about 1hr 10.5 minutes). This may be all that they're going to have, since they've now moved on to board games.
So, that will probably be all for tonight, unless I do decide to listen to more...and even so there may not be more concerning Nerf. Overall, though, it seems (from what Hasbro is saying, at least) that the state of Hasbro is very good, and Nerf in particular is Tony-the-Tiger grrrrrrrrrrrrrreat!
I'm off to take a break and fantasize about the Vulcan...
PS: Unfortunately, there was not one mention of the Recon...although that may be because this conference is primarily about 2008 and beyond rather than the last 90 days (or so) of 2007...which would put the Recon on the back burner if it is indeed coming out in December 2007
New information 2/11/08:
According to IGN and Gamespot, the Nerf video game for the Wii will be called "N-Strike."
IGN has the game listed as coming out for both the Wii (as previously known) and the DS. The Wii version, at least, will include a new blaster that can be used as a shell for the Wii remote; however, you can also "take the action outside as [the] controller transforms to fire actual NERF darts" (according to Gamespot and previous reports from the Hasbro press conference).
The game, according to Gamespot, will include both single player and multiplayer modes
It releases sometime this fall.
Edited by jwasko, 09 January 2010 - 12:35 AM.
