In a move aimed at simplifying the partnership process between intellectual property owners and creators, Roblox is launching a new licensing platform, announcing Netflix, Lionsgate, Sega, and Kodansha as founding partners to bring the worlds of “Squid Game,” “Twilight,” and more to its platform.
Introduction: Streamlining the creative licensing process
Popular gaming platform Roblox is launching a new licensing platform to streamline how intellectual property rights holders partner with creators on the platform. Starting Tuesday, Roblox is teaming up with Netflix, Lionsgate, Sega, and Japanese publishing giant Kodansha to integrate and build in-game experiences based on seven popular franchises: Netflix’s «Squid Game» and «Stranger Things», Lionsgate’s «Twilight», «Saw», «Divergent», and «Now You See Me», and Sega’s «Like A Dragon» (also known as «Yakuza»). Kodansha intellectual properties «Blue Lock» and «That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime» will be available on Roblox next month.
Licensing manager and catalog
While these brands constitute the founding partners for Roblox’s Licensing Manager and Licensing Catalog, “over the long term, Roblox’s Licensing Manager will be available to all eligible intellectual property owners and additional license types will be offered, providing creators and IP owners with greater flexibility,” according to the gaming company.
Manuel Bronstein, Chief Product Officer at Roblox, said in a blog post announcing the news on Tuesday: “Until now, IP licensing has been a complex and time-consuming process. Potential licensees had to negotiate with a variety of stakeholders, undergo regular reviews, and the process could take months.” He added: “To keep pace with the iterative nature of development on Roblox, we recognized the need to provide creators with a flexible, user-friendly licensing solution. This is where Roblox’s Licensing Manager and Licensing Catalog come in; a new and innovative approach to licensing games and interactive media at scale that creates new opportunities for all rights holders and creators to partner together.”
Massive growth and ambitious goals
Roblox set a goal last year for 10% of total global gaming content revenue to flow through the Roblox ecosystem. On Tuesday, Roblox reported that its creators earned $923 million on the platform in 2024, a 25% increase from $741 million in 2023, and are currently on track to receive over $1 billion in earnings this year. Roblox’s new licensing platform aims to fuel this growth to achieve the goal of 10% of total global gaming content revenue.
Bronstein said: “Roblox provides the opportunity for rights holders, including brands, to reach a large and engaged audience of 97.8 million average daily active users – many of whom represent the next generation of consumers. For creators able to use licensed IP, this means an opportunity to build an experience centered fundamentally around popular IP.”
Partnership with Lionsgate
Jennifer Brown, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Products and Experiences at Lionsgate, said this new platform expands their ability to reach and engage with their fan community on Roblox in the deepest way possible – by working with them directly. She added: “By empowering the creator community to collaborate with us to build experiences inspired by their favorite Lionsgate content – such as Twilight, Saw, Divergent, and Now You See Me – creators will get official access to our intellectual property and assets.”
Conclusion: Empowering the creator economy
The launch of the new licensing platform represents a crucial strategic step for Roblox. By facilitating access to popular intellectual property, Roblox not only unlocks new revenue streams for its creators and brand owners, but also enhances the appeal of its platform by offering richer, more diverse experiences to its users. This move places Roblox at the heart of the creator economy and underscores its vision as an all-encompassing entertainment platform that goes beyond mere gaming.
