General Wolves News

[Boozad]

It's just white noise. It means nothing, we seem to be expending unnecessary effort on it.

You’re gonna have to expand on that for a thick Ashmore Luddite, but if they’re separate entities how are ‘we’ expending any effort into it at all?

To make my position clear at the moment I don’t give a fuck about eSports, Fortnite, clothing brands or Chinese megastores, Fosun can do what the fuck they want. It’s results and performances on the pitch I’m interested in. But I don’t see how a fair amount of (possibly) new people seeing the Wolves badge is going to hurt? May not make a spot of difference to the club’s finances either positively or negatively but it is exposing our badge.

 

[AndyWolves]

At a really simplistic level we may end up with bigger / more sponsorship deals, but that would depend on how the funds got allocated across the group.

 

[WolfMan]

I know fuck all about the eSports, but if the characters in the games play in Wolves kits, might that encourage some people who wouldn't have otherwise to either a. develop an interest in the Wolves football team or b. Buy one of the kits they see in the game?

Don't games manufactures make millions from kids buying virtual outfits their characters can wear in games? Doesn't seem too much of a stretch to assume that kids might also buy the outfits the characters wear in the game to wear themselves in real life. Or am I just being an old thick cunt?

 

[Alan]

Not to put too fine a point on it, but without the FIFA games I probably don't start watching football regularly, much less support Wolves.

 

[Jabbawolf]

Not to put too fine a point on it, but without the FIFA games I probably don't start watching football regularly, much less support Wolves.

…another reason it should be discouraged!

 

[Alan]

…another reason it should be discouraged!

Fair play!

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

The simple fact is the IP of the logo vests in Wolverhampton Wanderers (1986) Limited (or whatever the latest incarnation of that Company is). All benefit from use of that logo should pass to that Company and therefore the club itself.

It seems pretty clear that Fosun are doing otherwise and I’m not very happy about that. Any licences will be peppercorn stuff to move our IP out of the aegis of the club.

In the unlikely event that Fosun create the new Nike using our logo there would be nothing to stop them keeping the logo and forcing the club to change if they ever sold us. That’s not a good thing at all.

 

[Johnny75]

I know fuck all about the eSports, but if the characters in the games play in Wolves kits, might that encourage some people who wouldn't have otherwise to either a. develop an interest in the Wolves football team or b. Buy one of the kits they see in the game?

Don't games manufactures make millions from kids buying virtual outfits their characters can wear in games? Doesn't seem too much of a stretch to assume that kids might also buy the outfits the characters wear in the game to wear themselves in real life. Or am I just being an old thick cunt?

You may be right about the people playing buying outfits with the logo on but with the devolved fashion brand owned by Fosun Sports and not WWFC it means fuck all to the club.

From the little I know about eSports the revenue is from advertising on streaming platforms and in-app purchases. Neither of which will mean anything to Wolves.

This is all about our brand and like Paddy I don't like it.

 

[Tony Towner]

There is a Wolves skin available on Fortnite but it's not the club kit. I don't believe we make anything other than an initial royalty out of it though as the payments don't reflect the number of times that particular skin is purchased.

The NFL ones are league wide as the deal is with the organisation rather than individual clubs and is the actual Jersey you purchase.

Wolves partner with Epic Games to bring football to Fortnite

Wolves and Fortnite fans will be able to show their allegiance to the club whilst playing the game, as a Wolves Outfit becomes available for Fortnite pl...

www.wolves.co.uk

 

[Alan]

There is a Wolves skin available on Fortnite but it's not the club kit. I don't believe we make anything other than an initial royalty outbof it though as the payments don't reflect the number of times that particular skin is purchased

Wolves partner with Epic Games to bring football to Fortnite

Wolves and Fortnite fans will be able to show their allegiance to the club whilst playing the game, as a Wolves Outfit becomes available for Fortnite pl...

www.wolves.co.uk

Jesus, we're in Fortnite.

Wild.

 

[AndyWolves]

It might all be bullshit, I might be naive, but they make several references to growing the club.

https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/wolverhampton-wanderers-fc/2021/09/21/russell-jones-wolves-commercial-growth-can-take-club-to-next-level-on-the-pitch/

 

[Johnny75]

It might all be bullshit, I might be naive, but they make several references to growing the club.

https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/wolverhampton-wanderers-fc/2021/09/21/russell-jones-wolves-commercial-growth-can-take-club-to-next-level-on-the-pitch/

More like confirmation that these ventures mean fuck all to the club.

Once you've skipped through his blather Jones admits that the only opportunity is the mythical increased commercial revenue as a result of exposure in other markets.

It's all about brand recognition and nothing to do with WWFC success.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

And you increase the brand recognition globally all over various markets you dilute it for the original brand owner. See Hoover for details.

 

[Alan]

And you increase the brand recognition globally all over various markets you dilute it for the original brand owner. See Hoover for details.

As I don't feel I qualify to be an "original brand owner", this perhaps is the core of why I feel less rowdy about it than some here (particularly you and Johnny).

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

You won’t if our badge becomes associated with a load of other shit, and we are sold and can’t use it any more.

 

[Boozad]

I’d be amazed if we ever lose the rights to use our badge. And does it matter if the badge becomes associated with other stuff? These people who associate it with other stuff will never follow Wolves, and the people who follow Wolves don’t give a shit about the other stuff.

 

[Alan]

If we lose our badge, does that mean we get to use the city's crest again?

If so, Fosun can have the hexagon.

 

[AndyWolves]

More like confirmation that these ventures mean fuck all to the club.

Once you've skipped through his blather Jones admits that the only opportunity is the mythical increased commercial revenue as a result of exposure in other markets.

It's all about brand recognition and nothing to do with WWFC success.

There's potential increased revenues from sponsorship (or "partnering") but that will depend on how those deals are structured across the group.

 

[MobNet Wolf]

The simple fact is the IP of the logo vests in Wolverhampton Wanderers (1986) Limited (or whatever the latest incarnation of that Company is). All benefit from use of that logo should pass to that Company and therefore the club itself.

It seems pretty clear that Fosun are doing otherwise and I’m not very happy about that. Any licences will be peppercorn stuff to move our IP out of the aegis of the club.

In the unlikely event that Fosun create the new Nike using our logo there would be nothing to stop them keeping the logo and forcing the club to change if they ever sold us. That’s not a good thing at all.

Not sure I totally agree Paddy. Fosun will be complying with all manner of transfer pricing requirements on an intra-group basis, which should result in any group use of the Wolves brand being done so on the basis of (notionally) arm’s length licences.

Given that the underlying IP vests in Wolves, if they did create the new Nike using our brand - there are various mechanisms stopping them transferring the IP out of Wolves at nil-value (legal, fiscal and commercial).

Is it completely impossible (particularly if Wolves were adequately compensated)? No. Would it fundamentally make any sense to totally divorce the brand from the club that created the brand - not in my mind.

I’m still broadly of the view that this complementary stuff using the Wolves brand adds value to Wolves itself.

 

[MobNet Wolf]

Seems their annual turnover (not profit) is currently around $200m p/a. Small fry in top end football terms. It's this eSports nonsense again.

They’re a fund - with approx $3bn assets under management. The turnover is neither here nor there.

I agree though that this is a play for expertise and exposure as opposed to raising any significant capital.