Digital Gaming Powers Up with Licensing

An Executive Voices Blog by Damon Baker, VP of Licensing, Digital Games at Hasbro

Here’s a query that might be excellent for a sport of Trivial Pursuit—how many individuals on the planet at the moment play video video games? The reply might shock you. According to Newzoo, over 3.5 billion individuals on the planet will play video video games on no less than one platform in 2025, over 61% of the worldwide inhabitants with web entry. And the dominant, most accessible format? Digital. The business has come a good distance from the times of Tiger Electronics LCD video games!

Today, digital gaming is likely one of the most dynamic segments of leisure. The class has seen regular progress globally with cell nonetheless main, PC on the rise, and console benefiting from moveable {hardware}.

What cuts by way of right this moment’s crowded panorama is nice IP—manufacturers and universes that already resonate with followers and may be reimagined in genuine, playable methods. Licensed video games are performing significantly effectively as a result of they join acquainted manufacturers with fashionable design, whether or not they be premium, free-to-play, or built-in gaming expressions. That’s the place digital licensing creates outsized worth.

For sport builders, licensed IP brings an prompt viewers, model belief, and narrative depth that may dramatically cut back the chance of launching a brand new sport. Players, in the meantime, are searching for authenticity, worth, and connection. They wish to interact with their favourite franchises throughout platforms, carry their development wherever they go, and share these experiences socially. While graphical realism was as soon as a serious focus, gamers now prioritize gameplay, narrative, and innovation over the visuals. Licensed video games that honor fan expectations whereas delivering on the enjoyable have an enormous benefit, particularly after they shock and delight the viewers.

To be sure your model is correct for digital gaming, it’s vital to grasp the target market and the story. For instance, what’s Optimus Prime doing in your sport? The excellent sport style for Transformers or Power Rangers is probably not the identical for Peppa Pig or Clue. The manufacturers which can be greatest suited to digital gaming have wealthy lore, recognizable archetypes, and intuitive gameplay that interprets naturally into interactive experiences. But, most significantly, they arrive with built-in communities that may turn into your largest advocate, driving constructive word-of-mouth for high quality video games.

At Hasbro, our mannequin is partner-first. We align with a studio that’s passionate concerning the IP and may carry a special approach to gameplay. If the developer has a terrific sport, we decide the place the IP may be an additive and plus up the expertise. Together, we outline what’s sacred concerning the model, the place we are able to innovate, and the way we’ll ship a sustainable launch plan.

MONOPOLY GO! with Scopely is a good instance. Our collaboration stored the timeless mechanics—property accumulating, threat/reward, and social rivalry—however reimagined them for cell with reside occasions and development. The outcome was one of many fastest-growing cell titles in historical past, proving how a century-old board sport can turn into a contemporary digital phenomenon by way of licensing.

These tasks originate both organically by way of inbound pitches or internally from a proactive focused strategy with sure franchises, creators, and style consultants in thoughts from the beginning. We search for builders and publishers whose artistic imaginative and prescient enhances the DNA of the model.

Timelines can differ relying on cell, PC, or console improvement however all through that course of we’re co-developing advertising, content material roadmaps, and transmedia beats to assist guarantee the sport launches right into a full ecosystem of franchise assist. These collaborations assist our companions faucet into our distinctive touchpoints and obtain greater than they may on their very own.

Globally, Asia-Pacific leads all business income, however North America and Europe stay core markets for digital gaming. We are spending extra time in markets like China, the Middle East, and India to construct our information and relationships in these areas.

Demographically, the participant base is broad. The common age is mid-30s with close to gender parity and significant progress amongst Gen Alpha gamers (born in 2010 or after). That attain makes digital licensing uniquely highly effective because it faucets into multigenerational, world audiences. For instance, bringing our World of Peppa Pig sport expertise to Netflix was a simple matchup the place dad and mom and children are capable of co-watch the present after which co-play the sport collectively immediately.

Moving ahead, nonetheless, we’re seeing some vital adjustments in online game play patterns and habits, particularly with youthful audiences.

Multi-device play is vital and the flexibility to play anytime, wherever will help decide a purchase order. Consumers need shared experiences the place they will get pleasure from cooperative gaming and social play with buddies. They are impressed by what they see from their favourite streamers and influencers.

An excellent instance of how we introduced all these parts collectively is our current collaboration with Epic Games on a Mighty Morphin Power Rangers integration into Fortnite. It has carried out extremely effectively, to the purpose that Epic commissioned a singular live-action trailer on their very own, producing a file variety of views and impressions. That buzz truly drove an uptick in our different POWER RANGERS video games as effectively, exhibiting the facility and attain a terrific licensed effort in digital gaming can obtain throughout classes.

Considering all of those elements, it’s clear that the largest alternative in digital gaming proper now’s leveraging IP in ways in which carry extra smiles to individuals’s faces.

Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast is in a privileged place as a pacesetter within the area. We have created franchise verticals throughout our group to drive transmedia ecosystems the place video games, publishing, buying and selling playing cards, tabletop, movie/TV, and client merchandise reinforce each other. Licensing is the engine that connects these dots.

Whether it’s bringing Monopoly into cell, Dungeons & Dragons into AAA RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3, or Magic: The Gathering into digital codecs, the chance is to make our manufacturers playable all over the place.

Hasbro is a number one video games, IP, and toy firm whose mission is to create pleasure and group by way of the magic of play. With over 164 years of experience, Hasbro delivers groundbreaking play experiences and reaches over 500 million youngsters, households, and followers all over the world by way of bodily and digital video games, video video games, toys, licensed client merchandise, location-based leisure, movie, TV, and extra.

Visit Hasbro at Brand Licensing Europe at Booth A211.