Guidelines:Merchandise

The merchandise policy of Megami Tensei Wiki outlines how merchandise should be covered on the site.

General

Merchandise need to have a certain level of notability to be covered on the wiki. This can include merchandise that are part of a promotion (including pre-order goods), a specialty collection series (such as a collaboration), an event, or are otherwise an original product or one with significance. Novelties (such as pet leashes, nail clippers, alcohol, and cologne) may be included if there is sufficient evidence that they are notable. In cases where the notoriety of a product is unclear, it is recommended to seek guidance from a member of staff via their talk page or via the wiki's Discord server.

Merchandise from a specialty collection or an event may be covered in the collection's / event's own page (for examples: the Digital Devil Selection collection, the Shin Megami Tensei 30th Live: Band of Shadows event). Pre-order goods can be documented in a media's Promotions section under a Pre-Order Bonuses subsection. Other items that do not fit these criteria, but are still considered significant, should be documented in a shared media-specific merchandise list page.

Products that largely consist of reused artwork or logos printed on common items (for example: apparel, notebooks, etc, that mainly feature a series logo or official artwork) are not considered notable enough to receive coverage and should be excluded, unless they are specifically part of a collection or are event merchandise.

Merchandise must also be officially licensed products. Fan-made merchandise (such as doujinshi, unlicensed garage kits, and items sold by an independent artist not associated with Atlus on their personal storefront) will not be covered.

Images

Per our file naming conventions, images of merchandise should follow this naming scheme:

(Media abbreviation or series name) (Collection or event, if applicable) (Subject) Merchandise.(file extension)

For example:

SMT3 Fangamer Jack Frost Plush Merchandise.png

In the image's file info summary, the image should be categorized as merchandise in type=. This will categorize the image under Category:Merchandise Images.

Wherever possible, official press release images of merchandise should be used on the wiki. In the event that an image is unavailable or one in decent quality cannot be found, then it is permissible for a fan-taken photograph to be used instead. For category consistency, fan-taken photographs should still be categorized as merchandise in the file info summary. Photographs of merchandise should focus on the item in the center with a simple background, without other objects or people present. Out of respect to other fans and collectors, do not take other people's personal collection photographs without their explicit permission. If permission is granted, source either where the photograph was taken or credit the collector in the image source.

If multiple official press-release images exist of a piece of merchandise, a single front-facing standard "product shot" is preferred. Additional images may be used if this does not allow for a comprehensive overview of the product; for example, coverage of double-sided keychains, optional parts, or included bonuses may require further images. Pre-release images such as unpainted sculpts of figures may also be included. Defective models, unless notable due to circumstances such as a recall, need not receive images.

If a product features unique packaging, then it is recommended to include a picture of the front of the packaging at minimum. If the back of the packaging also features a unique design, an image may also be used. The top, bottom, and sides of packaging will only receive images if they also feature unique elements. Products that come in clear bags or capsules, as well as products for which the packaging consists solely of logos (either for the source material or manufacturers) and legally required materials (such as pricing, disclaimers, barcodes, or contact information) do not require any form of packaging image.

Placement

In-depth merchandise coverage will generally not be repeated across articles. Placement of coverage is to be prioritized in the following order:

1. Dedicated article (Exclusively for books, soundtracks, trading cards, and audio dramas)
2. Collections and Events
3. Media-Specific
4. Subject

If a piece of merchandise were to fall into more than one category (for example, the Shin Megami Tensei V Vinyl Soundtrack Box Set being released through Fangamer), the item in question may be listed as needed on other articles and briefly described while also providing a link to the main article. Continuing the example, the Soundtrack Box Set may be briefly listed on the articles for Fangamer and Merchandise of Shin Megami Tensei V, but not on the subject article (Shin Megami Tensei V).

Merchandise related to a specific character, Demon, Persona, etc, may be placed in their Gallery section with a link to whichever article the information is placed on.

Collection and Event Merchandise

Merchandise related to an event or officially licensed collection should be placed on pages dedicated to the topic in question. For example: merchandise released via Fangamer should be grouped together on one page. Related merchandise should be listed in the page's Merchandise section, following the media order. The Merchandise section can have a sentence or paragraph describing the collection's information, which can include release date(s), distribution, involved persons, and so on. Images of the merchandise should be displayed in <gallery></gallery> tags with an accompanying caption. If there are multiple collections associated with a manufacturer or event, each collection should be given a subsection, either named after the individual collection or after the related game or media based on.

For example:

==Merchandise==
==={{Link|Game|SMT3}}===
Fangamer released several collections based on {{Link|Game|SMT3}} on October 13, 2020, and on November 16, 2022. Products were available to purchase from Fangamer's online store.
<gallery>
SMT3 Fangamer Jack Frost Plush Merchandise.png|Jack Frost plush, released October 2022
</gallery>

Media-Specific Merchandise Lists

Merchandise related to a media title may be listed and documented in a merchandise listing page. These pages are titled as Merchandise of (Media Title) and are linked to in the media's Listing section. For example: Merchandise of Shin Megami Tensei V, Merchandise of Persona 4.

Merchandise list pages may list products that do not have their own page on the wiki, as well as act as a directory to products with their own pages. For examples: the "Books" section should link to a media's novelizations, manga, and guidebooks; the "Collections" section should link to any related specialty collections or event collections.

For the sake of brevity, media adaptations that have their own merchandise should be considered separate from the game of origin. For example, merchandise related to Persona 5 The Animation should be kept separate from merchandise of the video game Persona 5.

Merchandise is sorted into sections by type and should generally be in alphabetical order, with specialty Collections given priority. The following is the recommended default:

==Collections==
(Links to specialty collections and related manufacturers or events that already have pages.)

==Apparel==
(Includes official cosplay pieces.)

==Books== 
(Links to novels, manga, and guidebooks.)

==Collectible Goods==
(For acrylic charms, buttons, standees, etc. that have original designs.)

==Drama CDs==
(Links to audio dramas with a physical release.)

==Figures==
(For scale figures, statues, etc.)

==Soundtracks==
(Links to soundtracks.)

==Stuffed Toys==
(For plush or felt goods.)

==Miscellaneous==
(Other merchandise that do not fit in any of the above.)

Merchandise sections that are non-applicable to a media should be removed from its merchandise listing. If a media has an overabundance of a certain type of miscellaneous merchandise (for instance, an overabundance of original stationery), then it may be given its own dedicated section.

Sections should display merchandise in galleries with an accompanying, descriptive caption. This caption can include the official name of the merchandise, the release date, as well as the manufacturer's name and/or the name of the store that sold the merchandise, if any of these are known. Merchandise may also be accompanied by a paragraph if additional information is known.