There’s an extreme lack of good quality, easy-to-find video game figures, and after seeing people make their own I’m tempted to try it myself
A growing community of video game enthusiasts is facing a significant shortage of high-quality, readily available figures of their favorite games and characters. According to a piece from PC Gamer, collectors are struggling to find merchandise that meets their standards, prompting some to take matters into their own hands by crafting custom figures.
One collector describes the satisfaction of hunting through specialty retailers like Surugaya and Book Off to add to their collection, but notes that video game-specific figures are surprisingly difficult to source compared to other collectibles. The scarcity appears to be driving interest in DIY figure-making, with hobbyists creating their own custom pieces to fill the gap left by commercial manufacturers.
The trend highlights a potential market opportunity for figure makers and licensors to better serve gaming collectors. As the gaming community continues to grow and develop its own subcultures around collecting and fandom expression, the demand for quality merchandise remains high—suggesting that the shortage may reflect a disconnect between collector desires and current product availability rather than lack of interest.