Gaming and Digital IP Licensing

Gaming and digital IP licensing

Garfield Agency licenses brands into console, PC and mobile games, esports, virtual goods and digital collectibles, including NFTs, as well as other digital IP scopes such as avatars, skins and branded experiences on online platforms.

Bruce Garfield has worked with Sony, Microsoft Gaming, EA, Google Gaming, Bandai Namco, Activision Blizzard, Capcom, Natural Motion, Riot, Creative Mobile, Sega, Take-Two, Ubisoft and Zynga, and gaming advisor Austin Yuen has spent his career licensing IP into mobile games.

Esports player wearing a headset at a gaming station, representing gaming and esports licensing

Brands inside games

A game license can cover vehicles, apparel, logos, locations or characters. Agreements define how the brand appears, what players can do with it, platforms, regions, term and whether the brand can appear in paid content. We negotiate these details with the studio so the integration serves the game and the brand.

Esports

Esports partnerships combine sponsorship with licensing: team and league marks on merchandise, branded in game items and event activations. We structure them so rights, deliverables and payments are clear on both sides.

NFTs and other digital IP scopes

Digital collectibles, NFTs, virtual goods and avatar items are licensed categories like any other, with their own questions: what the buyer actually owns, how resale royalties work, how long the license to display the artwork lasts, and which platforms are allowed. Garfield Agency has worked in this space since 2021 through its GARFIELD-NFT division and treats digital scopes as part of a brand’s full licensing plan, not a separate experiment.

Game IP into physical products

Licensing works in both directions. Game studios license their worlds and characters into apparel, toys, collectibles and publishing. We help studios find physical product partners and run the approvals that keep merchandise true to the game.

Questions we hear

How are brands paid for appearing in video games?

Deals range from flat license fees to royalties on sales of the game or of specific in game items. Some integrations are cross promotional with little money changing hands. The right model depends on the value each side brings.

Does Garfield Agency still work with NFTs?

Yes. NFTs and digital collectibles are one of the digital IP scopes we license, alongside virtual goods, avatar items and branded experiences on online platforms.

What should an NFT license define?

Who owns the underlying IP, what rights the buyer receives, whether commercial use is allowed, how secondary sale royalties work and what happens if the platform changes or shuts down.

Can a game studio license its characters into toys and apparel?

Yes. Studios license characters and worlds to consumer products partners, with the studio approving designs so products stay true to the game.

Garfield Agency provides licensing strategy and business services. It is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. For trademark filings, clearance opinions and litigation, work with a licensed attorney.

Related services

Talk with Bruce about your brand

Tell us what you own, what you want it to do, and where you want it sold.