The power of brands and IP: Licence Global’s Ben Roberts gets set for Brand Licensing Europe, Sept 24th – 26th

• The global brand licensing industry as being worth $356.5bn in 2023, with the UK being the second biggest market, valued at $16.9bn
• This year’s BLE event is their silver jubilee year, and they’re anticipating a show that’s bigger than ever

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Along with mobile gaming, brand licensing is an industry that’s on the rise.

Recent industry statistics from Licensing International placed the global brand licensing industry as being worth $356.5bn in 2023, with the UK being the second biggest market, valued at $16.9bn. 

Of those amounts 9% fell into the video games, software and apps category in 2023. In other words that’s $31.5 billion changing hands for the use of gaming IP and brands. And those numbers mark a 2.2% increase on 2022’s figures.

To find out more about the state of play and how smart, creative brands and merchandisers are making a mint from much-loved video games IP we spoke with Ben Roberts, the content director for Licence Global. 

The gateway to licensing success

Licence Global is a dedicated trade publication which looks at all kinds of brand licensing. They’re part of the Global Licensing Group, which is the umbrella group over events such as Brand Licensing Europe, Licensing Expo Las Vegas and Licensing Unlocked their new platform for the industry.

On top of that there’s Licensing for Retail Day, France Licensing Day. “There’s loads of different touch points and on-ramps for anyone who’s new to licensing, all the way up to the C level executives,” explains Roberts.

And this year’s Brand Licensing Europe event – coming soon on September 24th to 26th – will be more laden with gaming IP than ever. Video games brands exhibiting at BLE this year include Capcom, Sega, Pokémon, Rebellion, Bandai Namco, Just Dance, Atari, Far Cry, Halo, Xbox, The Sims, Tekken, Pac-Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, Dark Souls, Elden Ring, Space Invaders, Warhammer and more…

And this year is their silver jubilee year, and with visitor numbers up 28% and retail numbers up 31% in 2023, 2024’s show is set for its biggest year ever when it arrives at London’s giant ExCel event space.

Next level licensing

But aside from being part of this year’s mainstay European licensing event, what does the day job look like for Roberts we wondered. 

“Our remit is to analyse the brand licensing industry and act as a thought leader and a platform for people to share their best best in class strategies,” said Roberts. “We look at key trends. We forecast trends as well through direct proprietary data surveys. So we like to think we have a real finger on the pulse in terms of what’s going on and what’s going to happen.”

And we’re imagining things may have moved on a little since the days of the Spiderman duvet cover, perhaps?

“It’s not just logo slapping anymore – you get your logo, you pop it on a hat and then that’s your merchandise,” observes Roberts. “Someone once described brand licensing as the world’s biggest ‘behind the scenes’ business ever,” he explained.

“Take Lego Harry Potter for example. Everybody knows what that is. Obviously, Lego has to work with Warner Brothers who have the rights to Harry Potter and they work together to build something, and that in its essence, is brand licensing.

“And then obviously retailers are getting further into that mix as well, because they’re trying to drive things. The fundamentals of brand licensing is when a manufacturer and an intellectual property owner create something together to service a fandom. And that can be through consumer products or, for the context of this conversation, quite often through video games.

“That’s where licensing has kind of evolved. Which is why video games are a really fascinating case study. You have connected online communities which are allowing retail and brands to come in. There’s loads of different touch points within video games and you can extract that intellectual property and you can create authentic merchandise from it.”

IP and fandom flows both ways

And it’s not just about making retail products from gaming IP. “You can take a game like Mortal Kombat for example, and then reverse the roles. So you can do in-game licensing. So you’ve got Rambo turning up in the Mortal Kombat world. You’ve got Terminator appearing,” explains Roberts. “It just shows that kind of infinite loop of what’s possible through a digital platform.”

We’re all used to seeing games IP outside of the gaming world and increasingly seeing real-world IP – such as Barbie or Mr Beast – make their way into games such as Monopoly GO! or Stumble Guys. But does Roberts have any particular favourite crossovers that got the mix just right, we wondered?

“I always hearken back to the Pokemon and Puma collaboration mainly because it had fan DNA just integrated throughout it,” he explains.

“So there was a Gengar sneaker, which had the exact colour ways and the silhouettes – it really replicated the Gengar. And that’s just really cool. There were so many psychological and emotional connections with that one product purely through design. That was a smart partnership that I thought was really, really impressive.

“And what they’ve done with Monopoly GO! Have you tried to get your family to sit down and actually play a game of Monopoly?,” asked Roberts. “They just increased the accessibility of it. Which is why mobile really, really works. And Pokemon. They completely innovated the space by saying ‘the whole universe of Pokemon is in your pocket’. And it was amazing. Everyone says, ‘How do I approach gamers?’ ‘How do I talk to gamers?’ ‘I wanna reach the gaming market.’ But now that’s everyone! There are over three billion players on the planet.

This is just the beginning

And smart brand licensing and mobile leading the way is a trend that’s set to continue. “I think we’re gonna see way more really impressive collaborations come out,” says Roberts. “Like seeing Erling Haaland in Clash of Clans? And this huge, very important football player is a massive fan? So let’s bring him into the game. I think mobile gaming is gonna become way more creative.”

There’s clearly hearts and minds to be won and money to be made. So what would Roberts recommend for video game makers creating new IP and looking for a little extra revenue stream?

“You need to put the player first,” says Roberts. “Put the experience first, put the gameplay first, create something for a gamer, for a player, for a person. Create an authentic experience because when you look back at all these massive hits that have happened across the world, they’re all excellent games.

“So stick to your roots, stick to the basics. If you make an amazing game, you build an audience and then from that opportunities come. When you connect an intellectual property to a product that makes sense to the core intellectual property, that is when the fans will notice and appreciate it.

“We need this authenticity – where licensing has to make sense for the original brand and the original IP. And it’s an additional revenue line. It should never be the pure goal. The trend within gaming is that it’s getting more authentic, more fan driven, more innovative.” 

How to grab a piece of the branding dollar

And what would Roberts suggest be a developer’s first steps in obtaining some of this new revenue? “Going to events is super important,” suggests Roberts. “And networking. This is still quite a relationship driven business. It’s always good, regardless of your intellectual property state, to get out there and meet people. So things like the Brand Licensing Europe event are absolutely brilliant.

“My core advice would be to go meet people, focus on the product, focus on exactly what you’re building and what it offers players. And then you’re fine. If it’s your IP, then you’ll put the love and care needed into it in order for it to be a success, I’m sure.”

“A manufacturer coming to the show can meet all of the brands that they can work with. You get on the event planner before you go there, you look at all of the brands that you think you could work with, you arrange meetings to go and see them. It’s a really meetings focused event. Everyone is looking at IP that’s coming down the line in 12, 24 months from now and actually signing deals to work with big brands.

“You’re gonna see so much product from people like Sega, Capcom, Rovio, Bandai Namco, Dark Souls, Elden Ring… You’ll see loads of products that will give you loads of inspiration as to what you could do with your brand.

“Whether you’re brand new, you’re thinking about an IP or you’ve got an IP in development. Come and look at what’s going on. Come to the keynote and you’ll pick up some really good tips in terms of how certain franchises or IPs have gone from zero to 100. I’ll be delivering a talk on the upcoming trends are, and where people are gonna be investing their time and money in 2025. There’s loads for people to do and learn.”

To find out more about Brand Licensing Europe and to secure your place there head here.