-The-Hidden-Costs-of-Phygital-pucks-Are-Fans-being-Scammed-by-Phygital-s

Eisgenoss, a Swiss company focused on promoting ice hockey, claims to be revolutionizing fan engagement with its innovative Fan-Puck. This phygital hockey puck, embedded with a chip, promises a range of exclusive benefits to its owners. The highest priced puck sells for $300,000. Is it worth this price?

The Fan-Puck : Is it Overpriced for Fan Engagement?

Launched ahead of the 2026 Ice Hockey World Championship in Switzerland, the Fan-Puck merges physical and digital value, marketed under the buzzword "phygital." Available in three limited editions--gold, silver, and traditional rubber--each puck contains a chip that provides access to exclusive privileges like early match tickets, VIP entries, meet-and-greets with hockey stars, and exclusive multimedia content. But at what price?

Editions & Pricing:

• Original (Rubber ): 300 CHF

















• Silver: 3,300 CHF

















• Gold: 300,000 CHF

Are These Pucks a Marketing Stunt?

In order to create the Fan-Puck, the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation (SIHF), the gold merchant Philoro and the Web 3.0 specialist Vivents collaborated. This collaboration may seem impressive but the real issue is the value of these pucks. It appears that the concept of attaching a digital NFT onto a hockey stick and then selling it at exorbitant rates is more of a marketing trick, if not a scam. The puck has a minimal intrinsic value. This raises the question whether this is an innovation or a ploy to fleece hockey fans.

The Gold Edition: Worth the Price?

The price of the "Gold Eisgenoss", a collectible made from 2.29 kilograms pure gold, is 300,000 CHF. Considering the current gold rate, this puck's real value is about $175,099.15. Eisgenoss will pocket a profit of approximately $154,752.42 for each puck. Does the added phygital content of this puck justify such a huge markup? Absolute no. The price is too high for the features promised.

Collectible or Exploitative?

Silver and rubber versions of the Fan-Puck also have outrageous prices.

• Silver Edition: 3,300 CHF for 1 kilogram of silver, which is worth approximately $956. Eisgenoss makes a profit of approximately $2,672.77. They question the price of digital benefits.































• Rubber edition: 300 CHF is charged for a rubber puck which only allows access to pre-sale tickets. This amount seems excessive for the minimal digital benefits.

Questionable Transparency and Value

Eisgenoss says that a portion from the proceeds of sales will be used to support the development and training of young Swiss hockey players. The lack of transparency about the exact percentage, however, raises questions. The "a portion" could range from 10% to less that 1%. https://iqbal-khan.thoughtlanes.net/the-hidden-costs-of-phygital-pucks-are-fans-being-scammed-by-phygital-1716289738 to the skepticism.

Promises vs. Reality

The Fan-Puck promises several exclusive benefits, but these claims lack clarity:

• Access to Pre-Sale Tickets: Only provides access to tickets for pre-sale, but not the actual tickets.

















• VIP Experiences Vague claims of exclusive VIP entry and behind-the scenes tours.

















• Meet-and-Greets: Opportunities to meet hockey stars, but with no concrete details.

















• Signed merchandise: Access autographed items at a cost.

















• Multimedia Content: Exclusive content, but unclear if it's truly exclusive or just early access.

















• Fan voting: Participation is important, but what impact does it have?

These features are ambiguous and can incur additional costs. This makes the investment in Fan-Pucks highly questionable.

The conclusion of the article is:

Eisgenoss and Vivents' current implementation of phygital technologies is more about exploiting the fans than delivering real value. The exorbitant prices for these pucks, combined with vague promises and a lack of transparency, suggest that this is more of a marketing ploy than a real innovation. Fans deserve better than overpriced collectibles with questionable benefits.

The article that inspired this critique is from ZATAP. They are a leader in phygital technologies.