Ready Player Me, the virtual avatar platform, has launched its Premium Skins Catalog, which will enable developers to sell premium skins for avatar personalization.The Premium Skins Catalog will bring together content from industry giants such as Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group’s merchandise arm Bravado, Rovio’s Angry Birds, McLaren Racing and ITV Studios “The Voice” in collaboration with the Virtual Brand Group. This collaboration means that thousands of games and apps already integrated with the Ready Player Me platform will have access to a diverse range of branded skins. By partnering with these renowned brands, Ready Player Me aims to promote avatar personalization and drive revenue growth for developers.“Ready Player Me aims to make it easy for every developer to add avatars to their games, just like big triple-A studios can. And, these same game studios, who produce mega-hits like Fortnite and Roblox, earn billions of dollars a year by selling premium branded skins and other assets to their players,” said Ready Player Me CEO Timmu Tõke, in a statement. “Now, with the release of the Premium Skins Catalog, every Developer has the ability to sell skins featuring some of the biggest brands in the world with just a few clicks.”GamesBeat Next 2023Join the GamesBeat community in San Francisco this October 23-24. You’ll hear from the brightest minds within the gaming industry on latest developments and their take on the future of gaming.The direct-to-avatar economy and in-game purchases have become a multi-billion-dollar industry, with Fortnite alone estimated to have generated a staggering $9 billion in its first two years. The Premium Skins Catalog is a significant step towards enabling every developer, regardless of their size, to tap into this thriving market. By offering premium skins for Ready Player Me avatars from top brands and artists, developers can easily list these items for sale in their own custom storefronts or leverage the Ready Player Me Avatar Creator to sell items directly to their player base.“At Warner Music Group, we are committed to enabling our artists and songwriters to connect with their fans wherever they may be, and in the interactive formats they demand,” said Jillian Rothman, vice president of new business and ventures at Warner Bros.’ WMG. “Through this partnership with Ready Player Me, we’re empowering thousands of developers to offer fans a way to express their unique identities in digital spaces. The creative possibilities are endless, and we look forward to seeing what they build.”Universal Music Group’s merchandise arm Bravado is among the first to make skins available through the Premium Skins Catalog. Notable offerings include skins from German metal band Electric Callboy and STOKED, UMG’s HipHop lifestyle brand. Holger Christoph, SVP of digital business Central Europe at UMG Germany, said in a statement, “Many music fans are gamers, and most gamers are music fans, so it feels obvious to make official merchandise available digitally to allow users to express themselves and show off their fandom just like in the real word.”Ready Player Me said that the presented avatar customization options are not final and may be subject to change before the public release to developers and users.The Premium Skins Catalog will be available soon, and developers can sign up for a free Developer account to be among the first to be notified and start integrating Ready Player Me avatars. The platform already boasts a vibrant community of over 10,000 developers who are shaping the future of digital gaming experiences.Ready Player Me is a cross-game avatar platform for developers. With its modern SDKs for all major platforms, an embeddable Avatar Creator, and Developer Studio for managing app integrations and assets, Ready Player Me enables developers to seamlessly add avatars to any game or app in a matter of days. This streamlined process saves development time, enhances user engagement and retention, and opens up new revenue streams through in-game avatar customizations. GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it. Discover our Briefings.Enjoy access to special events, private newsletters and more.© 2023 VentureBeat. All rights reserved.