IKEA has spent years working on a line of gaming furniture, and now it’s finally ready. The Swedish furniture giant has announced its gaming range that it developed in partnership with Republic of Gamers, and it includes everything you need to deck out your gaming room and potentially some stuff more esoteric items.
In a statement, IKEA said getting into gaming was a “natural step” for the company due to the increasing number of people who enjoy games. Acknowledging its lack of knowledge and experience in gaming, IKEA said it found a good partner in Asus’s Republic of Gamers brand to help the company behind $1 hot dogs design the furniture. It’s unclear if you have to be a citizen of the Republic in order to be eligible for these products. We’re not sure what the test looks like if you apply.
Gallery
“Combining the best of these two worlds, the collaboration aimed to democratize the gaming experience, by creating relevant, functional, beautiful, and affordable products and complete gaming solutions to make it easier for everyone to create the setup and the home they want,” IKEA said.
Without further ado, IKEA’s gaming furntiture and accessories lineup includes the following product categories targeted at PC gamers specifically: HUVUDSPELARE, UTESPELARE, MATCHSPEL, GRUPPSPEL, UPPSPEL, LÅNESPELARE.
There are more than 30 products included in IKEA’s gaming line, including desks, chairs, and accessories like a big wooden hand to hold your headset. The product line also includes a cup holder that attaches to your desk and a special pillow with pockets that you can put your hands in to keep them warm, I guess. The ring light seems to be aimed more at streamers. A similar product is also offered by Elgato.
“The needs of billions of gamers around the globe are very diverse, whereas the existing offer is rather technical and often perceived as masculine design-wise, despite around 46% of gamers being female,” IKEA’s Ewa Rychert said. “We believe there’s a lot to be done to democratise the gaming experience. Now we take the first step on our gaming journey, and we do it by presenting affordable, high-performing gaming products and complete solutions that we hope reflect people’s personality and taste.”
This product line rolled out in China at the end of January. It is scheduled to release in Japan in May 2021 and then in October 2021 in the rest of the world.
