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

Here’s a question that would be perfect for a game of Trivial Pursuit—how many people in the world currently play video games? The answer may surprise you. According to Newzoo, over 3.5 billion people in the world will play video games on at least one platform in 2025, over 61% of the global population with internet access. And the dominant, most accessible format? Digital. The industry has come a long way from the days of Tiger Electronics LCD games!

Today, digital gaming is one of the most dynamic segments of entertainment. The category has seen steady growth globally with mobile still leading, PC on the rise, and console benefiting from portable hardware.

What cuts through today’s crowded landscape is great IP—brands and universes that already resonate with fans and can be reimagined in authentic, playable ways. Licensed games are performing particularly well because they connect familiar brands with modern design, whether they be premium, free-to-play, or integrated gaming expressions. That’s where digital licensing creates outsized value.

For game developers, licensed IP brings an instant audience, brand trust, and narrative depth that can dramatically reduce the risk of launching a new game. Players, meanwhile, are seeking authenticity, value, and connection. They want to engage with their favorite franchises across platforms, carry their progression wherever they go, and share those experiences socially. While graphical realism was once a major focus, players now prioritize gameplay, narrative, and innovation over the visuals. Licensed games that honor fan expectations while delivering on the fun have a huge advantage, especially when they surprise and delight the audience.

To make sure your brand is right for digital gaming, it’s important to understand the target audience and the story. For example, what is Optimus Prime doing in your game? The perfect game genre for Transformers or Power Rangers may not be the same for Peppa Pig or Clue. The brands that are best suited to digital gaming have rich lore, recognizable archetypes, and intuitive gameplay that translates naturally into interactive experiences. But, most importantly, they come with built-in communities that can become your biggest advocate, driving positive word-of-mouth for quality games.

At Hasbro, our model is partner-first. We align with a studio that is passionate about the IP and can bring a new angle to gameplay. If the developer has a great game, we determine where the IP can be an additive and plus up the experience. Together, we define what’s sacred about the brand, where we can innovate, and how we’ll deliver a sustainable launch plan.

MONOPOLY GO! with Scopely is a great example. Our collaboration kept the timeless mechanics—property collecting, risk/reward, and social rivalry—but reimagined them for mobile with live events and progression. The result was one of the fastest-growing mobile titles in history, proving how a century-old board game can become a modern digital phenomenon through licensing.

These projects originate either organically through inbound pitches or internally from a proactive targeted approach with certain franchises, creators, and genre experts in mind from the start. We look for developers and publishers whose creative vision complements the DNA of the brand.

Timelines can differ depending on mobile, PC, or console development but throughout that process we’re co-developing marketing, content roadmaps, and transmedia beats to help ensure the game launches into a full ecosystem of franchise support. These collaborations help our partners tap into our unique touchpoints and achieve more than they could on their own.

Globally, Asia-Pacific leads all industry revenue, but North America and Europe remain core markets for digital gaming. We are spending more time in markets like China, the Middle East, and India to build our knowledge and relationships in those regions.

Demographically, the player base is broad. The average age is mid-30s with near gender parity and meaningful growth among Gen Alpha players (born in 2010 or after). That reach makes digital licensing uniquely powerful as it taps into multigenerational, global audiences. For example, bringing our World of Peppa Pig game experience to Netflix was an easy matchup where parents and kids are able to co-watch the show and then co-play the game together instantly.

Moving forward, however, we’re seeing some significant changes in video game play patterns and behavior, especially with younger audiences.

Multi-device play is important and the ability to play anytime, anywhere can help determine a purchase. Consumers want shared experiences where they can enjoy cooperative gaming and social play with friends. They are inspired by what they see from their favorite streamers and influencers.

A good example of how we brought all those elements together is our recent collaboration with Epic Games on a Mighty Morphin Power Rangers integration into Fortnite. It has performed incredibly well, to the point that Epic commissioned a unique live-action trailer on their own, generating a record number of views and impressions. That buzz actually drove an uptick in our other POWER RANGERS games as well, showing the power and reach a great licensed effort in digital gaming can achieve across categories.

Considering all of these factors, it’s clear that the biggest opportunity in digital gaming right now is leveraging IP in ways that bring more smiles to people’s faces.

Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast is in a privileged position as a leader in the space. We have created franchise verticals across our organization to drive transmedia ecosystems where games, publishing, trading cards, tabletop, film/TV, and consumer products reinforce one another. Licensing is the engine that connects those dots.

Whether it’s bringing Monopoly into mobile, Dungeons & Dragons into AAA RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3, or Magic: The Gathering into digital formats, the opportunity is to make our brands playable everywhere.

Hasbro is a leading games, IP, and toy company whose mission is to create joy and community through the magic of play. With over 164 years of expertise, Hasbro delivers groundbreaking play experiences and reaches over 500 million kids, families, and fans around the world through physical and digital games, video games, toys, licensed consumer products, location-based entertainment, film, TV, and more.

Visit Hasbro at Brand Licensing Europe at Booth A211.