The subscription box service model for geeky things is nothing new, but when the big dog comes out to play, once can’t help but to take notice. Stepping into the arena is toy and games giant Hasbro, which is hedging its bet on the ever-expanding board gaming marketplace. The new Hasbro Gaming Crate lets the gaming giant serve hungry customers with diverse palates some of their newest games along with a few surprises.
For $49.99 per crate plus shipping, customers can currently choose between two distinct types of gaming crates every three months: the Party Crate or the Family Crate. Each crate includes three games total with one featured game and two surprise “mystery” games. The first featured game for the Family Crate is Mask of the Pharaoh, which was originally released in Japan as Mask of Anubis and adds an element of virtual reality into the gameplay. On the Party Crate side of the house, the first featured game is the “NSFW” Speak Out: Joe Santagato Edition party game which is obviously geared toward a mature audience.
It’s nice that a gaming crate service exists, and that Hasbro allows customers to choose between more family-themed games or an “adults-only” variety. The thing I’m most interested to see is what type of games we can come to expect as part of crate’s mystery games. This is a great opportunity for Hasbro to build some word of mouth by releasing new hobby games, but recipients may be disappointed if the mystery games turn out to be some longtime Hasbro mainstays such as Taboo, Life, or Clue, which most gamers probably already have in their closets. Regardless, this seems like a nice chance to be surprised with new family game night options.
According to the website, the estimated ship date for either of these crates is August 2017. Visit HasbroGamingCrate.com to sign up today, cancel anytime.
Correction: We received confirmation from Hasbro that all games included in each shipment will be exclusives to the Gaming Crate. That means classics such as Monopoly, Scrabble, etc. will not be delivered.
