Lately, game companies have been taking the gaming world by storm, not only with their major remarkable titles such as Guild Wars II, Batman: Arkham City, Darksiders II, and more… But with their Collector’s Editions specifically! More and more game companies seem to be taking the normal Collector’s Edition with additional physical content, and added DLC, and adding in Statues or Figurines for those who can dish out the ca$h.

I have actually been quite overtaken by some of these works of art, even though some pieces aren’t “worth it” according to some.  Regardless, I find myself greatly interested in collecting these statues and figurines in order to display within my nearby shelves.

Rytlock Brimstone: Guild Wars 2 Collector’s Edition Statue

As shown above, the Guild Wars 2 CE Rytlock Brimstone statue is one that not only stands tall, but is highly detailed by the artists over at ArenaNet. This was included in the Collector’s Edition at the high cost of 150 USD.

Statue Information:
I was able to talk with Katy Hargrove of ArenaNet about what kind of work goes into the creation of the Rytlock Brimstone statue. Here is what I found out:

The total time to create the statue was about 4 months. Around a total of 400 man hours was put into the creation of the statue. The time included; sculpting and meetings back and forth. Adjustments to the statue had to be made between the sculptors and the manufacturing guys. A tight deadline and everyone put in a huge effort to make it happen; every tiny detail had to be pored over.
The initial sculpt was from our game assets which our modelers had to remake for toy production

Directors for the statue:  Aaron Coberly and Daniel Docui
Sculptors: Donald Phan (primary sculptor), Kristen Perry, Bojin Shi, and Joe Piko.

Connor from Assassin’s Creed 3 Limited Edition Statue

Another finely crafted statue comes from Ubisoft with their game Assassin’s Creed 3 Limited Edition. This Limited Edition game came with the statue, DLC, an Assassin’s Colonial Flag, the journal of George Washington, and an Assassin’s Creed 3 Belt Clip all for 120 USD.
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The trend of including a statue or other large-scale physical item in a Collector’s or Limited Edition seems to be growing more and more.   Some of the biggest hitters with Collector’s Editions this year will come from the following titles: Metal Gear Solid Rising: Revengeance,  Tomb Raider, Bioshock Infinite, Aliens: Colonial Marines.
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Metal Gear Solid Rising: Revengeance -Collector’s Edition Plasma Lamp

This Plasma Lamp, offered by the creators of Metal Gear Solid Rising: Revengeance is one of the upcoming titles this year that’s included in a Collector’s Edition. This Plasma Lamp, Art book, Steelbook Collector’s Case, Soundtrack with pre-order bonuses comes to a whopping 150 USD.

Lara Croft  from Tomb Raider – Collector’s Edition Figurine

This highly detailed and articulated Lara Croft figurine by Crystal Dynamics is yet another example of how far a game company is willing to go in order to not just please the fans, but the collectors as well! The cost of the Collector’s Edition for Tomb Raider is a cool 100$. The Collector’s Edition also comes with a Weapon Pack DLC, 15×19 Double Sided Island Map/Poster, 3 Iron-on Badges, Survival Tin, and a 5”x7” Lithograph.

Songbird Statue from Bioshock: Infinite – Ultimate Songbird Edition

• One of the bigger names out there is Bioshock: Infinite from Irrational Games, or the more well-known Company, 2K Games. This incredibly detailed Songbird Statue, as detailed above, stands at 9 ½  inches, detailing a creature of which has not been seen in the Bioshock series previously.  This limited edition, better known as the “Ultimate Songbird Edition” is selling at a total cost of 150 USD, and contains a large variety of both physical and digital items for the consumer.Other contents include: a 3-inch baby Murder of Crows vigor bottle replica, a 5×7 lithograph by Jorge Lacera, a 25mm resin Handyman Miniature from the upcoming Bioshock Infinite board game, a mini art book, full of Bioshock concept art, commentary, and finally various digital content.NOTE: This is the second time that Bioshock has offered a statue with one of their collector edition games, the previous title being the first Bioshock Collector’s Edition.

Powerloader Figurine from Aliens: Colonial Marines – Collector’s Edition

Finally, another soon to release title is Aliens: Colonial Marines by Sega of America. Sega’s offered this highly detailed resin statue with their Collector’s Edition at the cost of 100 USD. This Collector’s Edition includes several in-game rewards, but also includes several ‘USCM Dossiers’.  A special Collector’s Edition case is also included to display the Powerloader statue.

Final Thoughts:

There is a definite trend, if not rise in the production of statues or figurines in today’s major game releases. The ability to create figures with the 3D Printer Technology is a much improved production element compared to how statues and figurines were produced years ago. I believe the availability of 3D printing is set to hit mainstream audiences in the next five years; bringing with it the capability people to print their own figurines at home. With the development of AAA Titles increasing, and the demand for more content, both physical and digital content, it will be intriguing to see if this trend continues, or if this ‘latest fad’ just disappears.