In the Game Offers Interactive Upgrades for Draft Hopefuls

I see one of the trends we're going to see more of in the next year or two is more interactive products. I believe much of this is going to center around online initiatives like Topps Town and Upper Deck U, but there's bound to be other programs as well.

A couple days back In the Game unveiled some interactive plans for their upcoming 2009-10 In the Game Heroes and Prospects set. Each card in their Class of 2010 insert set will come with a serial number on the back ranging from 1 through 30. If the player depicted on the card is drafted at that position in the June draft, collectors will be able to send in and upgrade their card to a memorabilia version. Upgraded versions will be limited to 10 copies.

So if the serial number on the back of your Taylor Hall says 1 and he's drafted first overall, you qualify for the memorabilia version. From a dealer's standpoint, I think this is a great idea as now there's going to be people chasing down multiple copies of the same card as they try to predict the spot in which they're picked.

This program reminds me a lot of Upper Deck's old Predictor and Crash the Game inserts where if the player won an award or hit a homerun on a certain date, then you'd get an upgraded version of the card or even a small set.

The preliminary checklist for the Class of 2010 cards is:
C-01    Taylor Hall
C-02    Kirill Kabanov
C-03    John McFarland
C-04    Cam Fowler
C-05    Tyler Seguin
C-06    Joey Hishon
C-07    Erik Gudbranson
C-08    Brett Connolly
C-09    Brandon Gormley
C-10    Stanislav Galiev
C-11    Quinton Howden
C-12    Jeffery Skinner
C-13    Mark Pysyk
C-14    Alexander Burmistrov
C-15    Vladimir Tarasenko

2009-10 In the Game Heroes and Prospects is scheduled for release on January 27.