License Global has released its annual Top Global Licensors report, analysing the state of brand licensing in the last year.
The Pokémon Company is listed as the fifth most profitable licensor of 2022, with a combined total of $11.6 billion in revenue from licensing and merchandise, representing a 36.5% increase from $8.5 billion in 2021. This increase places the company as number two in terms of brand growth.
The report cites two key factors in this growth - the release of the latest generation of Pokémon games, Scarlet and Violet, as well as renewed interest in the franchise following the announcement of anime series Pokémon Horizons in December.
2022 also saw the return of Pokémon Go Fest to the real world, having been an exclusively virtual event in 2020 and 2021. The in-person events in Berlin, Seattle, and Sapporo saw players contribute a combined $309 million to the host cities, raising further awareness of the enduring, smash-hit mobile game and potentially causing a significant boost in licensing and merchandising sales.
Gotta cash ‘em all
While The Pokémon Company is the only company in the top ten with a business model focused on gaming, several of the other licensors who charted highly have robust mobile presences. Among these is The Walt Disney Company, which came in first place with a massive $61.7 billion, has several major mobile titles in its portfolio including Marvel Snap, Disney Mirrorverse and Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes.
Warner Bros. Discovery came in fourth place with $15.8 billion, with a mobile gaming portfolio which includes the likes of Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, which earned $2.3 million within its first week of global release.
Other significant entries within the top fifty include game makers Sega and Bandai Namco and sports leagues WWE and NFL.
Yesterday, we revealed our list of the top 50 mobile game makers of 2023, with both Pokémon Go developer Niantic and Marvel Snap developer Second Dinner among our picks.
