By Arriana McLymore
NEW YORK Amazon said on Tuesday it had begun selling users of mobile games related physical items such as T-shirts and toys as it teamed up with the makers of Pokemon GO to provide merchandise related to a new game.
The e-retailer announced a business-to-business program called Amazon Anywhere allowing video game makers to sell goods directly through their respective platforms.
Amazon is the latest retailer to create merchandise aimed at gamers, following efforts of stores like Walmart, Nike, Gucci, Lacoste and PacSun that have created competitions, fashion shows and virtual goods in games.
However, most retailers to date have focused on making digital replicas of physical goods, rather than selling related real-life merchandise.
Amazon Anywhere will be offered to any gaming company that wants to turn its platform into an e-commerce site, the retailer said, allowing players to shop from video games, augmented reality apps and other mobile apps.
"The customers spend time (in games) and it's a great environment for them to make those physical purchases without leaving that environment," said Steve Downer, Amazon's vice president of consumer electronics.
The Amazon service is now available on Peridot, an augmented reality pet game made by Pokemon GO developer Niantic.
In the Peridot game, players take care of magical pet characters, and through the Amazon service, they can buy related stuffed animals, T-shirts and phone accessories and have them shipped directly to their homes from Amazon fulfillment centers.
The partnership requires players to link their Amazon accounts to the game in order to purchase merchandise.
Kellee Santiago, Niantic's head of production, said she hoped future versions of the game would give players bonuses for purchasing items through Amazon Anywhere, an incentive that could entice more players to use the feature.
(Reporting by Arriana McLymore; Editing by Jamie Freed)
