The Real Life Orlog Set is Sold Out and Reselling

News

By RC Staff

20 February 2023

Key Points:

• Orlog is a virtual dice game created as part of the viking video game Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

• 500 numbered sets of Orlog were produced by Ubisoft, for $200 each. These sets would sell through PureArts in under 24 hours

• The success of the sets triggered a Kickstarter campaign for a wider retail release. Sets from the original batch continue to resell for upwards of $500

Item

Toys & Games

501

Profit

This is the difference between the sale price and resell price. It does not take into account any costs associated with reselling. Things like shipping, storage fees, if applicable.

Assassin's Creed Orlog Dice Game Deluxe Edition

PureArts and Ubisoft created this official Orlog dice game, which can be played in every city within Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Limited to 500 units, this high quality remake was crafted with real wood, cast metal, and polished stones.

Creating an in-game dice or card game is a common method of worldbuilding in video games. In 2021’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the set includes the game of “Orlog”. Unlike the games in previous Assassin’s Creed entries, Orlog is an entirely original creation. After proving popular with gamers, Ubisoft elected to create a 1:1 replica of the game, using natural wood and high-quality materials. Only 500 Orlog sets were produced for $200 and sold out in under 24 hours.

What the heck is an Orlog set?

Orlog is an original creation of Ubisoft Montreal, developers of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. A dice game with roots in traditional Norse and Medieval games of the period, Orlog is a game played between two players with alternating dice rolls.

In the game, Orlog is a common occurrence found in towns and locations across the world. As a result, players are encouraged to interact with it and grow familiar with its play, and over time it developed a positive reception among Assassin’s Creed players.

Six months after Valhalla’s release, Ubisoft announced they would be creating a real life, 1:1 replica of the Orlog set found in-game, manufactured by PureArts.

The PureArts Orlog set

Carved from natural wood with ornate inlays, PureArt’s Orlog set is an eyecatcher. They modeled the set after the in-game version of Orlog seen in Assasin’s Creed, with a linen sheet for play and a real metal coin to flip.

The high quality that went into producing PureArt’s Orlog sets meant they would be in limited amounts, and they only numbered 500 sets accordingly. Orders for sets opened on May 13th and sold out in a day. Despite selling for $200, the Orlog sets proved decidedly popular for a video game collectible.

Orlog was extremely popular among customers, who universally praised the effort PureArts went into producing an authentic reproduction. After the successful sale of all 500 sets, many fans flocked to Facebook to ask for a wider release.

They got their wish a year later when PureArts created a Kickstarter campaign for a retail version of Orlog. With an original goal of $75,000 CAD, the campaign raised enough to start production in just 35 minutes. By the end of the campaign, backers had raised over $1,000,000 CAD, with numerous stretch goals achieved on the way.

The Kickstarter campaign shows consumers’ remarkable interest in Ubisoft’s Orlog, and this devotion became reflected in the aftermarket prices for the original set in 2021. Despite the widespread retail release of Orlog, prices for the first 500 sets (now deemed the Deluxe set) remained high.

Did the Deluxe Orlog Sets resell?

After selling out of PureArts online store for $200, the Deluxe Orlog sets would go on to resell for significantly over retail. Early on, resellers would list complete sets on eBay and Facebook Marketplace for around $350.

After the Kickstarter campaign, prices for Deluxe sets increased. Now, Deluxe Orlog sets sell for $500 or more, sometimes reaching $700. While this might seem high, remember there are only 500 in total, and they are from high-quality, durable materials.

While the success of the Deluxe Orlog sets might seem surprising, it is something we have seen before, in the Fallout: New Vegas Desert Ranger helmets. Bethesda created a scarce version of these helmets as a testbed for a wider release. They sold for $150 and are now reselling for $250-$300.

The Deluxe versions of Orlog are obviously more profitable, but the concept is the same: a large company takes a chance on a small production run of high-quality merch. If it sells out, they have something cooking. While Bethesda struggled to sell the wider production version of the NCR helmet case, Ubisoft was able to move a large volume of the retail Orlog sets.

Ubisoft electing to use Kickstarter was a clever decision. They avoided the pitfall that Bethesda fell into by overproducing stock and ensured that everyone who wanted a set would receive one. This renewed popularity for the game sparked interested in the original batch of 500 sets which rapidly appreciated in price.

All in all, this is a rare win-win-win scenario. Ubisoft sells a boatload of Orlog sets, so they are happy; consumers have a choice between buying a regular set at retail or a special set from a reseller, and resellers have a renewed market for what they are selling. Do not expect to see that happen too much.

What do you think? Did you miss out on the Deluxe Orlog sets? Remember, these sat in stock for 24+ hours. If you are tired of opportunities like these slipping past, it might be time to look into joining a resell group. Until then, you can always check out our other articles for new items to resell.