Hitster, which was named Game of the Year and focuses on musical knowledge, has enjoyed “tremendous success” with us since the Christmas season, when it sold more than 40,000 copies in just a few months.
“To say he was popular is to do him no justice. We received the game about two months before Christmas and it became the best seller of the year. It’s incredible,” says Jean-Philippe Giguère, manager of the Imaginaire boutique in Laurier, Quebec.
The story is the same at several game stores contacted by Le Journal in the Quebec area, where stocks have skyrocketed in recent weeks “at the time of the statement.” And its popularity isn't going to wane for a long time, they say.
As there was no TV quiz and no major advertising campaign, it is undoubtedly thanks to word of mouth that the music game reached the top of the charts. The special thing about it: The songs can be listened to via a QR code linked to the Spotify platform (see box).
“We really had a lot and it went away very quickly. “It’s not a game that’s been more heavily promoted than the others, but it’s very popular,” says Vicky Lamontagne, marketing director at Benjo.
This “hype” around Hitster is proof that it is an “excellent game,” emphasizes Paule Rancourt, general manager of Cadeau KID, the game’s main distributor in the country.
“It's easy to play and cross-generational, plus there are enough cards so we can play multiple times,” she mentions, adding that a French-language version is in the crosshairs and should be ready next spring.
“I’m pinching myself!”
For his part, Hitster's creator, Marcus Carleson, a Stockholm-based Swede, still can't believe that his game, which he invented on an evening with friends, is so successful on the other side of the Atlantic. .
“I pinch my arm!” he says with a smile in an interview with Le Journal.
The game's creator, Hitster, a Swede living in Stockholm, is pleased that his concept appeals to many music fans around the world. “The Swedes and the Quebecers certainly have that in common!” he says. Photo provided by Marcus Carleson
In fact, the very first prototype of the game was created on a summer evening in 2019. “I wrote song titles on pieces of paper and my friends had to guess the title and year of release,” says the 40-year-old businessman, a great music lover with a university degree in psychology and finance. “They thought it was good! But not just to be nice to me. That's when I told myself I was up to something,” he says.
The runaway success of his game, which is now sold in the United States, Canada, throughout Europe and Australia, among other countries, motivated Mr. Carleson to take a break from his job as an executive at a consulting agency to focus on other game concepts There will be no music this time, he said.
In Canada, Hitster is available in more than 800 outlets, including almost 500 in Quebec.
What is a Hitster Game?
- Musical trivia game where you have to place songs on a timeline according to their release date.
- The game contains 308 song cards from 1908 to 2023.
- Players create a musical timeline by listening to the excerpts.
- The first player to have 10 cards on their timeline wins.
- Players must have the Spotify app on their phone to play.
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