There are so many creative ways in which we are seeing 3D printing merge into various other markets. Take for instance the mobile gaming market. Who would have thought that 3D printing would have any relation to mobile gaming? Certainly not myself. With that said, there are already several companies trying to make inroads into the mobile game character 3D printing market.
While Things3D is in the process of developing a platform to enable gamers to create cute little collectible prints of their favorite characters, and Shapeit.io has failed to raise the funding needed on Kickstarter to launch their custom 3D printed game character platform, one company has already successfully launched.
Back on July 7th, Toyze rolled out their mobile platform to all Google Android mobile devices, via the Play Store. Toyze is more than just a simple 3D printing platform. It’s an entire interactive experience which allows gamers to manipulate their favorite characters by adding clothing, sunglasses, hats and even the ability to change their pose. Users then can share their customized characters via social media, and if they choose, have that character 3D printed for around $50. Upon their launch last month, Toyze teamed with Zeptolab, the creator of “Cut the Rope” and “Cut the Rope 2″ to feature several of the popular characters from those games within the Toyze app. Even with the limited selection, the application has a 4.3 out of 5 rating on Google’s Play Store.
Today, Toyze has announced that they will be expanding in a big way. They have teamed with the developer of one of the most popular mobile apps on the planet, Pou. For those unfamiliar with Pou, it’s the brainchild of a 24-year-old Lebanese developer, named Paul Salameh. Pou is to 2014, as the Japanese digital pet Tamagotchi was to 1996. The app, which currently has a staggering 70 million active users, and has been downloaded an amazing 200 million times, allows users to feed, bathe, and play games with the brown triangular cyber-pet.
“While Tamagotchi was the first digital pet, Pou is the first mobile app pet, and entrepreneur Paul Salame has made it into an international phenomenon,” said Toyze Co-founder and Investor Ilja Laurs. “Game players love to take care of and play with Pou, so it was a perfect opportunity to ‘Toyze it!’ and make Pou part of our 3D game character marketplace. Toyze’s momentum is strong. Our users have already created more than 30 thousand 3D models and we will be announcing several more game developers and characters in the coming weeks and months.”
This will certainly help Toyze inch its way into the mainstream of mobile applications, allowing them to appeal to over 70 million individuals who already are familiar with the Pou character. This will go a long way in solidifying Toyze’s position within the 3D printed mobile gaming character market.
“I’m very excited about our partnership with Toyze! Not only will players be customizing their Pous to play with them in the mobile app, but also in colorful 3D-printed form for their desks and shelves!” said Paul Salame. “Because Toyze is the first promising 3D-printing digital service that focuses on customizable game characters, they are our obvious choice for Pou.”
Have you downloaded Toyze yet? What are your thoughts? Are there any games you’d like to see the company team with next? Discuss in the Toyze forum thread on 3DPB.com.
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