When the company invest in the player's experience by selling miniatures or themed toys, the player creates a stronger bonding with the game and its characters. Some people actually get to know the toy first and then they start to play the game due to a character/asset they got in real life (e.g.: the key from kingdom hearts or a cute character, or a bloody character, matching the player style). Having a physical key chain or miniature makes it "real" and helps player's immersion and experience through the time spent with the toy outside of the game itself. In addition, the "collectors" kind of gamers also get more satisfied to add their favorite characters into their collection.
Example 1 (author's): Assassin's Creed series
From miniatures figure toys to shirts, posters, or even jewelry (besides book/movie - not considered into the "physical objects" but as crossmedia game experience).
Lego Videogames
Lego has been associated with making toys with interlocking blocks, especially for kids, since 1932. In 1996, Lego Videogames was founded as a division of the Lego group to publish Lego themed video games. Some of their famous titles are shown below. Expanding into the video game industry has lead to huge increase in company profit, their net income rose to $1.34 billion in 2015, a jump of 31% from previous year1.
