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What Final Boss Sour x Pac-Man gets right about brand collaboration

Brand collaborations work best when the connection feels immediate. That is part of what made Final Boss Sour’s Pac-Man collaboration stand out. The product concept, the visual identity, and the audience all lined up naturally. The results backed that up: since launching in January 2026, the collaboration has generated $525,000 in revenue to date and became the brand’s #2 best-selling SKU.

We spoke with James Hicks, Co-Founder of Final Boss Sour and Managing Director at Science, about how the collaboration came together, why Pac-Man was the right fit, and what other founders can learn from audience-aligned partnerships.

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Announcing Gamescom 2025 Office Hours: Empowering AI- and Community-Driven Innovation

We're excited to announce our Gamescom 2025 Office Hour, which will take place in Cologne, Germany! As part of our...

Q2 2025 Venture Market: Fewer Deals, Bigger Bets, and a Hard Tech Surge

Venture capital funding held strong in Q2 2025, crossing the $90B mark for the third straight quarter. While the number...

Case Study: Why Pokémon TCG Pocket’s Model Is a Global Hit

Why should game designers care about Pokémon TCG Pocket?

In the Age of AI: Rethinking Human-Centered Media

In a world where scrolling never stops and AI-generated content floods our feeds, it’s getting harder to tell what’s...

Inside the Mind of a Gaming VC: A Conversation with Teppei Tsutsui of GFR Fund

If you’re a game founder trying to raise your first institutional round, you’ve probably been told to “build...

How We Built a Scout Program to Back Founders from Day Zero

Let’s rewind to a familiar conversation in early-stage venture:

Q&A with Youngrok Kim: Building LP-GP Relationships That Go Beyond Capital

In the world of venture capital, some of the most impactful work happens not on the frontlines of deal-making but at...

Announcing NY Tech Week Office Hours: Empowering AI- and Community-Driven Innovation

We're stoked to announce our New York Office Hour, which will be held as part ofTECH WEEK by a16z! As part of our...

Q1 2025 VC Markets: AI Dominance, Mega Deals, and Record-Breaking Exits

Venture capital came out swinging in Q1 2025, with global funding hitting $120.9B—the highest quarterly total since...