Newzoo-IP和品牌合作如何提升游戏水平 How IP and brand collaborations level up games Industry insights powered by Newzoo data

November2023

HowIPandbrand

collaborationslevelupgames

IndustryinsightspoweredbyNewzoodata

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©2023Newzoo.Allrightsreserved.

ThecontentofthisreportiscreatedwithduecarebyNewzooandprotectedbycopyrights.Thisreport,oranyportionthereof,maynotbereproduced,distributed,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,includingphotocopying,recording,orotherelectronicormechanicalmethods,orusedinanymannerwhatsoever,withouttheexpresswrittenpermissionofNewzoo.Reproducing,distributing,and/ortransmittingthisreport,oranyportionthereof,forcommercialpurposesisexplicitlynotallowed.

MARKETANALYSIS&CONSULTING

GAMESDATA

GAMERRESEARCH

GamePerformanceMonitor

Unlocktitle-level

engagementandrevenue

dataforthousandsofPCandconsolegames.

GlobalGamer

Study

Exploretheglobalgameraudiencesacrossall

dimensionswiththelargestgamerresearchstudy.

GameHealth

Tracker

Trackbrandhealthand

purchasefunneldataover

timeforhundredsofgames.

Gamingexpertisepoweredbythemost

completedataresourceingaming

Weusedatafromourproductportfolioandproprietarysourcestoinformourexpertgamesmarketanalysis.

Knowthe

Knowthe

Knowthe

GamesGamersGamesMarket

Consulting&

CustomServices

Tailoredsupportforeverystageofthegame

developmentlifecycle.

GamesMarket

Reports&Forecasts

Discovergamesmarket

sizing,forecasts,andtrendsonaglobalandlocallevel.

©Newzoo2023

3

©Newzoo2023

Tableofcontents

Introduction&keytakeaways

5

Methodology&terminology

7

OverviewofIPandbrandcollaborationsingames

8

Impactongameengagement

12

Casestudies

15

Ourproducts&services

18

4

©Newzoo2023

Introduction

Publishersarealwayslookingfornewwaystoexpandthereachoftheirlive-servicegames.IP

andbrandcollaborationscanbearealgamechanger.ReleasinglimitedbrandedcosmeticsitemsandpartneringwithbrandsandIPholdersisnowaprovenstrategyforboostingengagementandrevenue.

LeveragingbrandandIPpartnershipsingamestocreateexcitingnewcontentcanattractplayersanddelightthemwithitemsfromtheirfavoriteintellectualproperties.Atthesametime,gamingisentertainment’slateststageforspotlightingbrandsandfranchises.

TickingoffthosebrandawarenessandaffectionKPIs—aswellashelpingbrandsandIPholderstargetvaluableaudiencesegments—hasneverbeeneasier.JustlookatwhatFortniteandROBLOXaredoingforatasteofhowgamingcanbringhighlyengagedeyestobrands.

Touncoverthisexcitingstrategy,wemadethisreportanalyzingtheimpactofbrandandIPcollaborationsingames.Wecoverover470IPandbrandcollaborationsfromJanuary2021toJune2023,exploringhowthesecollaborationsboostplayerengagementandshapestrategiesforpay-to-playandfree-to-playgames.Wealsoinvestigateseveralcasestudies,includingDeadbyDeadlightandTopGun:Maverick.

Wehopeyouenjoyreadingthisreportasmuchaswelovedproducingit.Please

getintouch

todivedeeperinto

essentialtrends

currentlyshapingthegamesmarket.Happyreading!

TianyiGu

SeniorMarketAnalyst

TomofumiKuzuhara

MarketAnalyst

5

Keytakeaways

+11%

AverageDAUincreaseforagameoveranIP/brandcollaboration’sfirst7days.

+19%

AverageDAUincreaseforpremiumgames.

158outof477

ThehighestnumberofcollaborationswerebetweengameIPs.

Source:©Newzoo|NewzooGamePerformanceMonitor|37marketsincluded(AE,AR,AT,AU,BE,BR,CA,CH,CL,CO,CZ,DE,DK,ES,FI,FR,GB,HU,ID,IE,IL,IT,JP,KR,MX,NL,NO,NZ,PL,PT,RU,SA,SE,TH,TR,US,ZA)

©Newzoo2023

6

Methodology&terminology

IPandbrandcollaborations

WedefineIPandbrandcollaborationsascaseswhereagameincorporatescontentfrompartneredIPholdersandbrands.Thesecanincludeskins,characters,items,maps,stories,gamemechanics,and

gamemodes.Thescopeofthisreportexcludescollaborationsoutsideofgames,suchasphysicalmerchandise.

Forthisreport,weresearched477collaborationsbetweenJanuary2021andJune2023across104uniquePC/consolegamesand352uniqueIPsandbrands.Browsergameswereexcludedfromthescope.

Theanalysis

Newzoo's

GamePerformanceMonitor

letsusanalyzehowcollaborationsimpactengagementmetrics,suchasMAU,WAU,DAU,lifetimeplayers,andaverageplaytimeforPCandconsolegames.TheDAUdatascopeincludesgamesonPC(Steam),PlayStation,andXbox,excludinggamesonnon-Steam

launchersorNintendoSwitch.

Fortheperformanceanalysis,weanalyzedaverageDAUandaverageplaytimegrowthbycomparingthefirstsevendaysofthecollaboration(releaseweek)versusthesevendaysbeforearelease(pre-releaseweek).

Gameshadtomeetabiggersamplesizelimitatleastonceintheirhistoryonanyplatformtoshowupinthedataset,ensuringDAUdataconsistency.Toisolatetheeffectofcollaborationsfromother

contributingfactors,weexcludedcollaborationsthatlaunchedsimultaneouslywithagame’srelease(includinganext-genupdate),shiftsfrompay-to-playtofree-to-play,andadditionstomulti-game

subscriptionserviceslikePlayStationPlusorGamePass.Therefore,theaggregateanalysisusingDAUcovers369collaborationcases.

Methodology

MAU(MonthlyActiveUsers)Playerswhoopenedthetitleatleastonceintheselectedcalendar

month.

WAU(WeeklyActiveUsers)Playerswhoopenedthetitleatleastonceintheselectedcalendar

week.

DAU(DailyActiveUsers)Playerswhoopenedthetitleatleastonceontheselectedcalendarday.

LifetimeplayersTotaluniqueplayerswhohave

everplayedatitleuntiltheselectedcalendar

month.Note:Thisdoesnotincludeplayerson

PlayStation3,Xbox360,oranythingprior.New

andlifetimeplayersaredeterminedbyplatform

(e.g.,PlayStation),notbydevice(e.g.,PlayStation5).

AverageplaytimeAverageamountoftimethatactiveplayersspentinhavingthetitleupand

runningfortheselectedperiod.

ReleaseweekFirstsevendaysfromthedaywhenacollaborationwasreleased.

Pre-releaseweekSevendaysbeforea

collaborationwasreleased.

Terminology

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Overview

HowPCandconsolegamescollaboratewithbrandsandIPholders

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©Newzoo2023

GamemakersfrequentlyleverageIP/brandcollaborationevents

Despitefewercollaborationshittingthegamesmarketfrom2021throughH12023,thestrategyremainsquitevaluable

Numberofcollaborations,uniqueIP/brands,uniquegames

PC&console|2021,2022,H12023

CollaborationsUniqueIP/brandsUniquegames

220

199

187

158

51

29

H12023

2022

2021

56

62

58

From2021untilJune2023,PCandconsole

gamemakerscollaboratedlesswithbrandsandIPholdersthaninthepast,mirroringbroader

markettrendsinapost-lockdownage.

Gamingactivitysurgedin2020and2021asthe

worldwentintolockdown.Manypublishers

scaledup,whilemarketersdivertedtheirbudgetstogamingastraditionalmarketingavenuesran

dry.Investors,meanwhile,grewexcitedaboutthemetaverse.

However,momentumingamingactivityand

metaversehypesloweddownin2022and2023duetoconstrainedbudgetsandlayoffs(as

publishersscaledbackdown).Theseconstraintsledtofewercollaborationsandeventsintheseyears.Meanwhile,theworldopenedoncemore,meaningmarketerscouldagainallocatetheir

budgetsacrossothermedia.

Thedeclineincollaborationnumbersdoesn’t

negateIPandbrandpartnerships’provenabilitytoboostplayerengagementandrevenueinPCandconsolegames.Asmoregamefranchises

shifttolive-servicemodels,morecollaborationopportunitieswilllikelyarise.

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Source:©Newzoo

|NewzooConsulting

9

ThemostcommontypeofcollaborationisbetweengameIPs

Anime/Manga/Comicsaccountforthesecond-highestnumberofIPandbrandcollaborations

NumberofcollaborationsbyIP/brandoriginPC&console|2021,2022,H12023

Game

Anime/Manga/Comics

Movie

Celebrity

Music

Fashion&Apparel

Automotive

TVSeries

Sports

Technology

Other

129

14

14

158

40

30

55

53

21

71

Lookingfurtherintothe477collaborationsweanalyzedforthisreport,weseethatthemostcommontypeofcollaborationisbetweentwo

gameIPs.Anime,manga,andcomicIP

collaborationsarealsorelativelycommon.

Thesecollaborationsboostagame’sengagementandrevenue.Theyalsohelptoincreasethe

partneredbrandorIPholder’sreachandappeal(especiallyamonganewaudience).

Asmoremediagoesdigital,includinganime,manga,andcomics,itwillbecomeeasierto

facilitateIPandbrandcollaborations.Thiswillmakeitmorecost-effectivetocreatein-gamecontentandbrandedassets.

GameIPslikeLeagueofLegends,StreetFighter,andAmongUsoranimeandcomicsfranchises

likeMarvel,AttackonTitan,andDCComicsareamongthemostactivecollaboratorswithPCandconsolegames.

©Newzoo2023

Source:©Newzoo|NewzooConsulting

PleasenotethatwecategorizedthecollaboratedIPandbrandsbasedontheiroriginaltypes.Forexample,PokémonisidentifiedasagamingIPinourresearch.10

BattleRoyaleisthemostcommongenreforcollaborations

FortniteisaclearexampleofhowIPandbrandcollaborationssustaingameecosystems

NumberofcollaborationsbygamegenrePC&console|2021,2022,H12023

BattleRoyale

Sandbox

RolePlaying

Shooter

Adventure

Fighting

Platformer

Sports

Simulation

BattleArena

Other

32302919

16

13

34

135

44

53

72

Lookingatgamegenres,theBattleRoyalegenreistheclearleader(thanksmainlytoFortnite).

Fortnite’sBattleRoyalefrequentlyfeaturesbrandactivationsfromthelatestTVshows,movies,andotherpopularproperties,likeStarWarsand

DragonBallZ.BrandsliketheNBAandFerrarihavealsobeenexperimenting.

FortniteCreativehasbeenanoutletforbrandsviauser-generatedcontent(UGC).AnybodycancreatecontentforFortniteCreative,including

brandslikeCoachellaand7-Eleven.

ROBLOXisperhapsthemostprominentUGC

platforminthegamesmarket,andbrandsare

alsoextremelyactivethere.ThisiswhySandbox

hasthesecondmostcollaborationsinthisranking.

Role-playinggamesarethe#3genre.Thisisin

nosmallpartthankstomiHoYo’sGenshin

Impact,whichhasseencollaborationeventsacrossautomotive(Cadillac),consumer

electronics(Samsung),andthefoodindustry(Domino’s).

©Newzoo2023

Source:©Newzoo

|

NewzooGamesTaxonomy

11

Impactongameengagement

HowIPandbrandcollaborationsboostengagementforgames

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©Newzoo2023

IPandbrandcollaborationsboostgameDAUby+11%

Dailyactiveusers(DAUs)peakonaveragebetweenDay4andDay5followingacollaboration’slaunch

Collaborationperformanceindex

PC(Steam),PlayStation,&Xbox|37majormarkets|Jan2021–Jun2023

DAUcomparedtoavg.DAUforpre-releaseweek

(pastsevendaysbeforecollaborationreleases)

1.16

1.14

1.12

1.10

1.08

1.06

1.04

1.02

1.00

Day1Day2Day3Day4Day5Day6Day7

DAUcomparedtoavg.DAUforpast12monthsbeforecollaborationreleases

+11%

IPandbrandcollaborationspositivelyimpactgameengagementintheshortterm.Overthepastseveralyears,IPandbrandcollaborationsboostedDAUbyanaverageof+11%inthefirstsevendaysfollowingalaunch.

MultiplefactorscanimpacthoweffectiveIPorbrandcollaborationsareforgamesand

partneredcompanies.Brandfitandeventtimingarebothimportanttoconsider,whileit’salso

essentialtoalignwhetherthecollaborationfitswithafree-to-playorpremiumstrategy.

Onaverage,DAUpeaksbetweenthefourthandthefifthdaysoftheeventthenslowlyreturnstopre-collablevels.Mosteventscoveredinthis

researchstartedoneitherTuesdayorThursday(over43%combined).

Curiousaboutthelonger-term

effectsofIP/brandcollaborations?

Getintouch

©Newzoo2023

Source:©Newzoo|NewzooGamePerformanceMonitor|37marketsincluded

(AE,AR,AT,AU,BE,BR,CA,CH,CL,CO,CZ,DE,DK,ES,FI,FR,GB,HU,ID,IE,IL,IT,JP,KR,MX,NL,NO,NZ,PL,PT,RU,SA,SE,TH,TR,US,ZA)

13

Premiumgamesgetabiggerboostinengagementfromcollaborations

PremiumgamescommonlyuseDLCstrategieswhileF2Pgamesoftenfeaturebrandedskins

Release-weekDAUboostinfree-to-play&pay-to-playgamesPC(Steam),PlayStation,&Xbox|37majormarkets|Jan2021–Jun2023

Pre-releaseweekavg.DAUindexRelease-weekavg.DAUindex

1.19

+19%

1.08

+8%

1.00

Free-to-Play

Pay-to-Play

1.00

TheimpactofIPandbrandcollaborationsvariesbythetypeofgameinquestion,especiallyas

gamemakersadoptdifferenttacticswhen

forgingcollaborationsforfree-to-playandpay-to-playgames.

Lookingat273collaborationsinfree-to-play

titlesand96inpay-to-playgames,wefindthatpremiumgamesenjoymoresignificant

engagementboosts.Collaborationsboost

premiumgameengagementby+19%following

thelaunchofacollaboration.Incontrast,free-to-playgamesexperiencealower+8%DAUincreaseinthesametimeframe.

Premiumgamesoftenutilizedownloadable

content(DLC)toleverageIPandbrand

collaborations.DLCstrategieshavethepotentialtoraiseengagementbyattractingnewplayers

withfreshcontentandreturningplayerslookingtoexperiencegamesthroughnewlenses.

Incontrast,manycollaborationsinfree-to-playgamesfocusonin-gameskins,acost-effectivestrategytomaintainplayerengagement.

Naturally,cosmeticsboostengagementtoalesserdegreecomparedtoDLC.

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©Newzoo2023

Source:©Newzoo|NewzooGamePerformanceMonitor|37marketsincluded

(AE,AR,AT,AU,BE,BR,CA,CH,CL,CO,CZ,DE,DK,ES,FI,FR,GB,HU,ID,IE,IL,IT,JP,KR,MX,NL,NO,NZ,PL,PT,RU,SA,SE,TH,TR,US,ZA)

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Casestudies

SuccessfactorsofIP/brandcollaborationsinPCandconsolegames

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©Newzoo2023

IPfitwithgamesisanimportantdriverforasuccessfulcollaboration

DeadbyDaylight’scrossoverswithiconichorrorIPsuccessfullyboostedDAUandplaytime

CollaborationperformanceindexbyIP

PC(Steam),PlayStation,&Xbox|37majormarkets|Jan2021–Jun2023

Pre-releaseweekavg.DAU&

playtimeindex

1.311.311.29

1.18

1.10

1.001.00

Average*

*Allcollaborations(Jan2021–Jun2023)

RINGU

SadakoRising(Mar2021)

Release-weekavg.DAUindex

ResidentEvilChapter(Jun2021)

&PROJECTW(Aug2022)

Release-weekavg.playtimeindex

ArchivesTome10:

SAW(Jan2022)

HellraiserChapter

(Sep2021)

1.111.00

1.00

1.00

1.02

1.07

1.15

1.12

Sinceits2016release,DeadbyDaylighthasbecomeknownforitscrossoverswithiconichorrorIPs.Thesurvivalhorrorgamehas

maintainedaconstantstreamofskinsand

characters,maps,gamemechanics,andstoriestokeepusershooked.

Forexample,twonewchapters(DLC)from

ResidentEvilandthefilmRinguboostedthe

release-weekaverageDAUby+31%and

+29%,respectively.Theseeffectsexceededtheaverageeffect(+11%)ofallthecollaborations

withinthegamereleasedbetweenJanuary2021

andJune2023.Thesuccessofthese

collaborationshassetaprecedentandgeneratedanticipationamongfansforfuturecollaborations.

Ofcourse,thesecollaborationsbenefitedfromotherfactors,suchasdiscountsforthebase

gameandalargeamountofaddedcontent.

Nevertheless,collaboratingwithanIPthat

appealstoasimilarfanbaseprovestobean

effectivestrategyforagame,attractingfans

whomaynothavefoundthegameotherwise.

Gamespresentanovelwayforenthusiastsofa

non-gameIPtoengagewithstoriesandworlds

thatthey’refamiliarwithbutthroughanew,moreplayfuldimension.

©Newzoo2023

Source:©Newzoo|NewzooGamePerformanceMonitor|37marketsincluded

(AE,AR,AT,AU,BE,BR,CA,CH,CL,CO,CZ,DE,DK,ES,FI,FR,GB,HU,ID,IE,IL,IT,JP,KR,MX,NL,NO,NZ,PL,PT,RU,SA,SE,TH,TR,US,ZA)

16

Launchingcollabswithothermarketingactivitiesisawin-winstrategy

IPandbrandcollaborationscreatehypeamongfansofthegameandtheIPand/orbrand

Game:AceCombat7

Genre:Shooter

Subgenre:VehicularCombat

CollabIP:TopGun:Maverick

Collaborationreleasedate:

May26th,2022

Description:

Thisspecialcontent,incollaborationwithTopGun:Maverick,becameavailableviapaidDLC.TheDLC,pricedat$19.99,addssixaircraft(includingtheirskins),emblems,nicknames,andadditionalmusictracks,mostofwhicharefeaturedinthemovie.

Game:MicrosoftFlightSimulator

Genre:Simulation

Subgenre:VehicleSimulator

CollabIP:TopGun:Maverick

Collaborationreleasedate:

May25th,2022

Description:

ThisTopGun:MaverickcontentbecameavailableviaafreeexpansioninMicrosoftFlightSimulator.Theexpansionincludesanewaircraft,livery,aswellasnewchallengesandmissions.

+120%

Avg.DAUincreaseinreleaseweek

+81%

Avg.DAUincreaseinreleaseweek

ThecollaborationsbetweenTopGun:Maverick

andtwogames,AceCombat7andMicrosoft

FlightSimulator,significantlyboostedthegames’DAUs.

Timedwiththemovie’srelease,both

collaborationsintroducednewcontenttothe

games.TheycapturedtheexcitementoftheTopGunfranchise,whichfitbothgames’aviation-

focusedgameplay.

Bylaunchingthesecollaborationsalongsidethemovierelease,thegamesgeneratedbuzzamongtheirfansandTopGunIPenthusiasts.

Thesecollaborationsreflectthegrowingtrendofentertainmentcompaniesadoptingtransmediastrategies.WhilesomeIPholderschooseto

createIP-basedvideogames,partneringwith

existinggamesthroughin-gameassets,new

content,andgamemodesoffersacost-effectivewaytotapintogamingaudiences.

AligningsuchcollaborationswiththebroaderlaunchandmarketingactivitiesoftheIP

generatesinterestfrombothIPenthusiastsandgamingfans,leadingtoincreasedengagementandrevenueforthegames.

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©Newzoo2023

Source:©Newzoo|NewzooGamePerformanceMonitor|PC(Steam),Xbox,andPlayStation|37marketsincluded(AE,AR,AT,AU,BE,BR,CA,CH,CL,CO,CZ,DE,DK,ES,FI,

FR,GB,HU,ID,IE,IL,IT,JP,KR,MX,NL,NO,NZ,PL,PT,RU,SA,SE,TH,TR,US,ZA)

17

©Newzoo2023

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