Traditional merch takes a higher level of capex. Part of the appeal of microtransactions - and increasingly the preferred model when looking at newer multiplaye

Traditional merch takes a higher level of capex. Part of the appeal of microtransactions - and increasingly the preferred model when looking at newer multiplayer hits like Fortnite - is that you can get in that business for cheaper by selling in-game cosmetics, and that only distorts the game's aesthetics, not its core ruleset. Fortnite has done very well with the model of letting the game change radically and frequently while herding along the same playerbase with new cosmetics that complement game changes, while in contrast, Rocket League has changed essentially nothing since launch and has a smaller but very dedicated group of competitive players, who also get cosmetics each season. Both are viable in different ways. Hits still end up with tie-ins, so you will see toys for hits with broad appeal like Minecraft, Fortnite, Angry Birds, slither.io, etc. But you usually don't see new IP placing their bets on this stuff early nowadays.