Crown gambles on games market

The games market is expected to be worth (US)$100 billion by 2015 and Crown would like a piece of it.

Analysts attribute the industry’s growth to the combination of a higher standard of living and the increased perception of the importance of pursuing leisurely activities.

Crown Speciality Packaging North America, a division of Crown Holdings, hopes to expand into the sector by helping game and toy companies stand out in the entertainment industry with enhanced metal packaging.

“There are traditionally two types of game and toy consumers – those who primarily like to actually play with the item, and those who see their purchase as a collectible,” says Sheila Heath, marketing manager, Crown Speciality Packaging North America.

“In both cases, consumers are increasingly recognizing the value of premium packaged goods.

“This, coupled with the growth of the market in general has led to decorated metal tins often being utilized as the primary container, rather than PVC or cardboard.”

Crown works with brands to develop customised containers and customers can take advantage of an extensive range of standard toolsets and sizes to reduce development time and maximize efficiencies.

Advanced decorative technologies, including high resolution printing, can be paired with embossing to produce the impression of movement through the use of shadows and enhance the look of the game’s imaginative characters or designs.

Innovative shaping or Crown’s unique window technology, can give a partial view of the product inside the package and decorative technologies such as the HoloCrown allows for holographic images to be stamped directly onto metal tins.