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Ikea and Asus ROG team up to launch gaming furniture and accessories in China

  • Ikea is developing about 30 gaming-related products in Shanghai that will go on sale in February 2021, starting in China
  • Professional gamers and e-sports players commonly rely on ergonomic gaming chairs to protect themselves from pain and injuries

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Customers cycle past a newly-opened Ikea store in Chengdu, China, on November 29, 2006. Photo: AFP
Karen Chiu

Gaming furniture used to be niche. But now Ikea is getting in on the action in a sign that the category is going mainstream. The Swedish company plans to launch its first products made specifically for gamers starting in China next year.

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To take on this project, Ikea teamed up with the Asus brand Republic of Gamers (ROG). Taiwan’s Asus already offers a line of gaming equipment such as desktops, laptops and keyboards. The new collaboration will see the launch of about 30 pieces of ergonomic gaming furniture and accessories. Ikea says they will be designed to “increase performance while also blend in beautifully to homes.”

Ikea has not specified any products yet, but typical gaming furniture includes colourful chairs with plush backs that sometimes resemble racing car seats. Desks that can hold more than one monitor are also popular. They’re mostly designed to reduce the pain and discomfort commonly associated with prolonged periods of sedentary gaming.

Hours of practice every day can take a toll on the health of dedicated gamers. China’s most famous e-sports player, Uzi, retired at age 23 earlier this year, citing shoulder pain as one reason. His team blamed “injuries accumulated over eight years of high intensity training”.
An e-sports player sits in a typical gaming chair during the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. E-sports was an exhibition sport during the event, ahead of its entry as a medal event at the next Asian Games in China in 2022. Photo: AFP
An e-sports player sits in a typical gaming chair during the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. E-sports was an exhibition sport during the event, ahead of its entry as a medal event at the next Asian Games in China in 2022. Photo: AFP

While neither Ikea nor Asus is based in mainland China, they chose Shanghai as the headquarters for the new project. Ikea said it has a product development centre in the city, and the new products are being developed with feedback from Shanghai’s professional gamers and enthusiasts.

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