There’s no denying gaming is has evolved from its casual status – it’s a livelihood for some. The number of gamers, currently at around 2.5 billion, keeps increasing every day as more and more people find an escape from the stresses of life and unwind. This gives IKEA 2.5 billion reasons to create a furniture range for gamers to perform at their peak levels – more so for professional gamers deep in the e-sports ecosystem. Since IKEA themselves are amateur in gaming, they have partnered with Asus gaming accessories sub-brand Republic of Gamers (ROG) to design the highest-grade hardware and gear for demanding gamers who settle for nothing but the best.
To get the gaming dream going, IKEA commissioned Sofia Wiktorsson, Product Design Developer at IKEA in Shanghai, and Luis Porém Pires, Range Design Leader in IKEA Workspaces to join a workshop in Shanghai to develop the new range. ROG got their gaming team and co-workers to give Sofia and Luis insight into what the gamers truly wanted for ergonomic comfort and a clutter-free environment to stay focused and increase the in-game performance. To this end, the collaboration and the deep insight into how gamers actually interact with their environment and accessories culminated into a range of products that are economical and a must-have for any gamer to create their desired setup.
In total, there are 30 products in six product families in the IKEA range, right from gaming desks, chairs and drawer units to mouse bungee, neck pillow, and ring light. The new content is spread across six product families – HUVUDSPELARE, UTESPELARE, MATCHSPEL, GRUPPSPEL, UPPSPEL, and LÅNESPELARE. The UTESPELARE and MATCHSPEL make up the gaming chairs with features such as back tilt, pockets for magazines, and adjustable headrest and armrest. The UPPSPEL range is the ROG designed height-adjustable desks with a power mechanism for choosing just the right level. In contrast, HUVUDSPELARE and UPPSPEL are the contemporary desks and the CPU stand. The LÅNESPELARE range makes up the neck pillow, mouse mat, headset stand, multi-functional blanket, and mouse bungee. The most noticeable one of them is the headphone stand that’s shaped like a wooden hand.
Currently, the gaming range is available at IKEA China, with a Japan launch in May 2021. In other parts of the globe, the IKEA range is all set to come in October 2021. According to Sofia, the cushion blanket originates from gamers’ need during cold months where they need to recharge in-between gaming sessions. The same goes for the neck pillow, which fits all IKEA chairs and is portable enough to take with you to anywhere desired.
Designer: IKEA with ASUS ROG
