Today, I want to talk about the fact that VeVe has a big problem.
And yes, I mean that quite literally.
Because every so often, someone on the VeVe team will be on a stream, in an X Space, or at a convention and say the words: “We’re going to make a big announcement.”
Why is that a problem, you may ask? Well, it’s a problem because I think they underestimate this community’s creative imagination.
You see, saying the word “big” to the VeVe fam is like showing the full moon to a pack of werewolves. But instead of turning humans into furries, the word “big” turns collectors into full-blown speculative degens.
As I’m sure most people are aware by now, this community is filled with very creative people. And the thing is, when we get ideas, we tend to share them with one another, so pretty soon all of the speculation gets wildly out of control fast.
Is it Street Fighter? Or Pokémon? Maybe we’re getting “Make an Offer,” an open/closed blind box mechanic, or some other long-awaited feature. Maybe it’s a celebrity endorsement, or someone from VeVe is going to talk to someone on a major news channel, or even a crypto channel that has more than a hundred followers! Maybe we’re getting a Tesla, a collab with Square Enix, Dark Horse Comics, or maybe… just maybe… a second manga title. Perhaps there’s going to be a phygital sold in stores, or a collection of BE@RBRICKS hugging Pudgy Penguins! (I’d buy that.) Maybe we’ll get one of the collab comics that DC and Marvel are doing, or maybe we’ll finally be able to use our collectibles as keys to game skins in a multiverse game. How about Mario Bros. figures, or Minecraft sheep, or the Main Street Electrical Parade! Collect all of the floats for a free Disneyland pass! Or maybe it’ll be a pizza place promotion or fast food coupon: “Scan here for a free VeVe collectible!”
Yes, well, you get the idea. We think big when we hear the word “big”.
By the time the announcement comes out, everyone is disappointed no matter what the “big announcement” was. We’ve brainstormed our way to such lofty heights that no matter what the announcement was supposed to be, we’re either disappointed that it’s just another Vader or we’ve missed it completely. Some of us are still wondering what the big announcement mentioned in Lisbon was about.
So I was thinking that maybe it’s time that the word “big” gets stuffed into the same drawer VeVe stuffed the word “soon” in. There are a lot better adjectives to use that still build hype without letting things get entirely out of control.
Even calling it a “fun announcement” or an “intriguing announcement” gets people talking without things getting so far out of hand. Or, how about “a fun new feature,” or “an upcoming drop”, or “a special artist”, which would get people talking without convincing them that OMI isn’t going to a dollar tomorrow.
As for us… maybe we should keep our expectations in check any time they use the word “big.”
That way we don’t start howling when something doesn’t moon.