Koto, Inc. has named Diamond Comic Distributors as the exclusive North American distributor of its entire line of collectible products based on the best-selling video game, Final Fantasy X. Timed with the North American release of the game in early 2002, this distribution agreement gives Diamond the ability to offer retailers a wide array of collectibles based on the popular property ? including action figures, lunch boxes, plushes, posters, vinyl statues, silver jewelry, T-shirts, and wall scrolls.
Square Entertainment Arts' Final Fantasy has become one of the most popular video game franchises ever, selling over 31 million copies worldwide. Its newest incarnation, Final Fantasy X, is already a multimillion seller in Japan (the first game for the PlayStation 2 to achieve this honor), and is scheduled for release in North America in the first quarter of 2002 ? with more than 500,000 copies already preordered by consumers! The game's forthcoming release will be accompanied by a massive press tour, during which Koto. Inc.'s licensed Final Fantasy X items will also be promoted. To that end, these fan-favorite products from Koto, Inc. should share in the game?s extraordinary sales success.
"As the exclusive North American distributor of these must-have items," explained Diamond Import Toys Brand Manager Frank Supiot, "Diamond can offer its customers the entire complement of Koto's Final Fantasy X products at affordable prices, and with a high availability of stock. And with Final Fantasy X a sold-out success in Japan [70% of the initial shipment of 2.14 million units sold out in the first 24 hours] and American fans impatiently waiting for its Stateside release early next year, this terrific sales opportunity could not have come at a better time!"
"Koto, Inc. is very excited to be working with Diamond in bringing our profitable Final Fantasy X products to the North American collectibles market," said Koto, Inc. Vice President of Business Development Yumi Hoashi. "Koto, Inc. and Diamond are both recognized as the leaders in their respective fields, so working together is a natural fit."
For almost two decades, Baltimore, MD-based Diamond Comic Distributors has continued to evolve into the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books and related merchandise, serving over 4,000 customers from distribution centers across the U.S. and in the U.K. As it has expanded over the years, so has the number of product lines it distributes weekly to its customers. With toys alone, Diamond has successfully built a more than $25 million a year business.
Koto, Inc. was initially established in March 2000 to distribute parent company Kotobukiya's products in the U.S. and Europe. In the aftermath of the success of its best-selling Final Fantasy VIII Guardian Force collectibles line, Koto, Inc. has carved out an identity of its own by manufacturing high-quality collectibles, and offering its toy manufacturing services to a number of U.S. companies, including Dark Horse Comics, N2Toys, and D-Boy, Inc.
