Following their success with Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail in recent years, HoYoverse is aiming for a trifecta of well-received 3D games when they release Zenless Zone Zero (Sometimes referred to as ZZZ) in July 2024. Switching things up from the fantasy and sci-fi styles, Zenless Zone Zero is an urban fantasy ARPG hoping to blend the action of its character-driven combat with a retro 90s/2000s aesthetic, topped off with a post-apocalyptic backdrop. Think VHS tapes, stereo speakers, and all those other things that defined my growing up as a kid of the 90s.
With the game a little more than a month away from being launched, HoYoverse has kindly provided us with one of their media kits, an impressively designed suite of merchandise and packaging that not only highlights the aesthetic they are going for with Zenless Zone Zero but also some of the merchandise we may see going forward for the game. With Genshin Impact, in particular, being a merchandising powerhouse, from figures to acrylic stands to art books to various other nick-nacks, perhaps the nostalgic designs of Zenless Zone Zero will also lend itself to plenty of future offerings.
Some of the Nicest Media Kit Packaging I Have Ever Seen
I seldom opt to purchase limited physical editions of video games anymore. My justification is that I have been burned far too many times with offerings that look good but quickly become instant regret. These range from figures lacking any form of quality oversight, to art books best described as booklets and packaging that is little more than a slightly fancier flimsy box. With the caveat that this is a media kit, designed for media and influencers which therefore companies are incentivised to ensure nothing goes awry, the packaging of this Zenless Zone Zero media kit is, in my opinion, the standard companies should strive for with their limited editions. It is evident that the teams behind Zenless Zone Zero were incredibly passionate about the design of this kit, and they delivered a memorable first impression.
Unboxing the kit, the recipient is greeted by a box in the shape of a small CRT television, with all the small attention to detail such as a set-top box with the words ‘Gift Channel #777’ on the front, a whole lot of retro style buttons and the retro-style knobs on the side being on point. But on the monitor are three Bangboo (The mascot character of Zenless Zone Zero) celebrating as the recipient had found this miraculous ‘Gift Channel’, with a pseudo-animated style complements of the lenticular features of the artwork, which I would argue was one of the coolest things for any kids in the 90s.
So you have the box… how do you access the goodies within? Everything is accessible via two well-built drawers incorporated into the right-hand side of the box: SIDE A and SIDE B. It was a clever idea to ensure neither the delightful artwork nor the overall structure isn’t impacted over time when accessing the merchandise. Both drawers can be taken out fully, and reinserted with ease. There is enough flexibility with sizing so if you open up everything packaged inside, you can still securely store them within the box without difficulty.
Side A: The Main Assortment Merchandise
The top drawer is where a majority of the merchandise lives, and is a veritable cornucopia of offerings – from pins to postcards, to a lenticular stand figure, magnet pins and, despite Zenless Zone Zero not having a planned Nintendo Switch release, a switch game case in the shape of a VHS cassette. These are all some nice, high-quality collectable trinkets – some of which I see myself using such as the Switch Game Case and Acrylic Statuette, some that were I to have a mini-fridge in my study I would definitely use, and others that are nice artistic goodies. Especially given the artistic quality and character designs we have seen from the closed beta tests of Zenless Zone Zero, here’s hoping we see the acrylic character stands rolled out to market very soon.
You can see everything on offer below:
ZZZ: Tuning Series Tinplate Badges feat. Nicole, Billy and Anby
ZZZ: Tuning Series Postcards x5
Zenless Zone Zero – Equalizing Series: Acrylic Stand Feat. Koleda
Zenless Zone Zero – Equalizing Series – Switch Game Case
As a 90s kid, one of the keys to getting my attention is nostalgia, and this is probably my favourite part of the merchandise – a full 24-slot Nintendo Switch game storage case in the form of a slim VHS cassette tape. It ties in nicely with the main setting of Zenless Zone Zero and is always a nice, convenient tool to have around if you are like me and travel with your Nintendo Switch a bit. A little bit of an odd choice considering that Zenless Zone Zero is currently a console exclusive to the PlayStation 5, but this may very well change in the future.
Zenless Zone Zero – Equalizing Series – Acrylic Fridge Magnet Collection x2
Side B: The Mousepad
While Side A featured a lot of small goodies, Side B is dedicated to just one large item, the pièce de résistance if you will, especially for those who may find themselves drawn to the game’s mascot characters, the Bangboo. Based on the many ‘Wrist Protector Mouse Pads’ which have more of a fanservice slant to them, this drawer is home to the Zenless Zone Zero – Equalizing Series – Wrist Protector Mouse Pad – Bangboo, giving all Bangboo savants the opportunity to rest their weary wrists and hands in the comfort of Bangboo butt cheeks. Is it something I would use at my office desk? No! Is it something I would use leisurely… probably not! But is it something that has brought a smile to my face every time I have thought of it at how quirky and clever it is for merchandising purposes… yes!
Overall: HoYoverse could have some fun merchandise planned for Zenless Zone Zero
Should Zenless Zone Zero turn out as successful as Genshin Impact or Honkai: Star Rail, or at least somewhere in the ballpark to justify a merchandising strategy, I think Zenless Zone Zero has much potential. While some of the items on display, including the Acrylic Stand, Postcards and Tinplate Badges all are easy to make and are seemingly based on assets created for the game, other items in this media kit such as the Switch Game Case showcase how they can utilise the game’s modern-retro aesthetic to come up with some clever ideas, while the Bangboo has some great potential across the board – along with being more versatile than its counterparts mascot characters of Paimon and Pom-Pom.
Keen on trying out Zenless Zone Zero for yourself? The Urban Fantasy ARPG is scheduled for release on 4 July 2024 at 10 am UTC+8 for the PC, PlayStation 5, iOS and Android platforms. It is a free-to-play game primarily supported by a gacha system using free and paid currency, which as of the Closed Beta pretty much follows the same system as Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail. Pre-registrations are now open via the game’s official website, with the community almost at the final registration milestone for 12x Master Tape (The game’s gacha pull items).
Special thanks to developer and publisher HoYoverse for providing this copy of the Zenless Zone Zero Media Kit for our perusal, and ultimately providing an indication of what merchandise could be on the way. It was a well conceptualised and realised media kit that will be on prominent display in my gaming room, with it being easily the nicest designed packaging I have seen for any game to date.
