For at least five years, eyewear manufacturers have been entering into collaborations for glasses that block blue UV light from computer and other device screens, and the frequency of deals has steadily grown over that time. This is especially true for initiatives involving gaming-related properties, whose fans not only spend a lot of time in […]
Archive | Interactive gaming
Fright Night in the Toy and Collectibles Aisle
Scary plush and plush-like characters from the worlds of video games and collectibles are currently having a moment in the licensing business. These properties do not represent a new phenomenon, but their number is currently ramping up, likely due in part to the popularity of the horror genre in general. Most are meant to appeal […]
Pairing Anime and E-sports
By Karen Raugust on March 25, 2024 in Character/Entertainment, Interactive gaming, Licensing, Sports
A popular sub-segment within the e-sports licensing sector consists of cross-licensed apparel collections that bring together e-sports teams and anime properties. The audiences for the two types of IP dovetail nicely, and the anime characters help drive interest and purchase intent for the e-sports brands. This trend has been ongoing since at least 2019 and […]
Challenging Times for Esports
The e-sports business has been facing many and varied challenges in the past year: Key sponsors are leaving the business. This is the most important revenue stream for the industry, representing 60% of esports organizations’ total revenue, according to NewZoo. In addition to the failure of crypto company FTX, a big esports sponsor, companies such […]
Controlling the Narrative
By Karen Raugust on November 21, 2022 in Character/Entertainment, Interactive gaming, Licensing, Toys/Games
For years now, toy companies have been launching or acquiring entertainment and gaming studios, in the hopes that bringing these businesses in-house will strengthen their ability to control their all-important forays into TV, film, and interactive gaming productions based on their proprietary brands. There has been some news on this front since the start of […]
Orchestras Score with Gamers
By Karen Raugust on August 8, 2022 in Cultural, Experiential licensing, Interactive gaming, Licensing, Music
In its July 2022 listing of the 20 best video game soundtracks of all time, British classical music radio station Classic FM said, “Video game music is one of the most exciting areas of contemporary music, with composers like Austin Wintory, Jessica Curry, and Nobuo Uematsu winning fans the world over with their game soundtracks.” […]
Snacking While Streaming
Food and beverage-related brands have represented one of the key sectors involved in e-sports promotions over the past year and a half, partnering with e-sports teams and organizations for live events, streamed content, and sometimes merchandise sales or giveaways. Some examples: E-sports organization FaZe Clan paired with General Mills’ Totino’s brand to create special flavors […]
Breaking Out of the Metaverse
New deals are revealed almost every day to bring licensed IP into the metaverse, with the partners creating branded virtual goods, storefronts, events, or other implementations, especially in popular gaming worlds such as Roblox. Conversely, several games that originated in Roblox have lately started to break out as licensed properties in their own right. They […]
A Good Game for Beauty Brands
By Karen Raugust on April 4, 2022 in Character/Entertainment, Health/beauty, Interactive gaming, Licensing
Beauty companies have been among the most active of corporate marketers when it comes to entering the virtual worlds of gaming and the metaverse. Many have been creating promotions and/or offering digital palettes to be used within the games, for example. Conversely, owners of video game properties have increasingly been dipping their toes into physical […]
Playing Dress-Up
When esports teams, leagues, and other organizations first entered the apparel licensing game, they started by working with specialty companies dedicated to esports. As awareness levels among mainstream consumers rose, they began pairing with the big sportswear companies, especially those that were licensees of traditional sports IP owners such as the U.S. major leagues or […]