By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
Licensing Expo’s keynote presentation for this year has been revealed as Brands at Play with a special focus on the global video game industry.
The opening keynote panel, Video Games: Driving Billions to Play, explores the reasons behind gaming’s massive popularity, what gamers look for in a brand and how new and existing IPs can capitalize on the industry’s growth.
The industry experts featured on the panel will include Maya Rogers from Tetris, Nick McWhorter from CD Projekt Red, Ivo Gerscovich from SEGA of America and Doug Rosen from Paramount.
The panel discussion will be moderated by the content director of License Global, Ben Roberts.
“Licensing Expo is where we plant the seeds for how we creatively approach emerging trends we see across the market. said Global Licensing Group SVP, Anna Clarke. “These phenomenal global leaders in gaming IP are at the forefront of tomorrow’s leading brand extensions, tapping into what resonates best with their communities. Especially as this year we focus on all iterations of Brands at Play, we are setting the stage by shining the light on gaming as the category of the future,” added Clarke. “Digitization impacts brand engagement and is a critical area to provide education and ideas into how we can expand.”
Maya Rogers serves as the current CEO of the Tetris company, which is the owner, manager and licensor of the global Tetris video game franchise.
Since Rogers joined the company, Tetris has expanded into a lifestyle brand that has over 90 licensing and promotional partners across the globe.
Nick McWhorter serves as director of global licensing at the game development company, CD Projekt Red.
CD Projekt Red is known for creating, developing and licensing global gaming brands such as The Witcher and Cyberpunk across multi-platorm entertainment, merchandise and pop culture initiatives.
McWhorter previously worked with Dark Horse Comics for 16 years, where he managed licensed publications and products based on IP from movie studios, animation, video games and more.
Ivo Gerscovich is the chief business and brand officer at SEGA of America.
During his time at the company, Gerscovich has worked to expand the Sonic the Hedgehog video game brand into a multi-media entertainment franchise that offers a wide range of licensed products and promotional collaborations.
His prior experience in the industry includes positions at companies such as Paramount Pictures and Vivendi Games.
Doug Rosen serves as the SVP of global games and emerging media at Paramount.
Rosen is responsible for overseeing Paramount’s global video game sector which includes business development, creative expansion, marketing and the production of games and digital experiences across all gaming platforms.
In addition, Rosen works to extend the commercialization of emerging technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality and the metaverse.
According to a research study by Licensing International, approximately 9.8% of the overall global sales revenue of licensed merchandise and services for 2022 came from video games, software and digital apps.
As roughly 48% of the global population consider themselves either active or casual gamers, video games are rapidly becoming the next major category for licensing expansion.
Licensing Expo 2024 is scheduled to take place from May 21 to 23 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.