John Friend, head of Xbox Gaming Consumer Products at Microsoft, has been confirmed as the day one keynote speaker at Brand Licensing Europe.
The session, called When Everyone Plays, We All Win: Next Level Consumer Products & Licensing with Xbox, will take place at 12:30 on Tuesday 24 September.
From Halo, Fallout and Call of Duty to the brand itself, Xbox has become a leader in connecting players worldwide with the franchises, stories, and characters. Through immersive storytelling, brand engagement, omni-channel extensions and intellectual property adaptations, Xbox is redefining the gaming experience on and off the screen.
In this fireside chat with Global Licensing Group’s EMEA head of content Ben Roberts, John Friend will explore the dynamics of the video game industry and share the endless opportunities that brands, licensees, and retail partners have to strengthen the connection between beloved gaming worlds and fans.
John Friend said: “Our goal has always been to fuel our community’s fans and fandom with best-in-class products at a global scale. We have the privilege to represent the biggest and best portfolio in the industry with franchises ranging from Fallout, Halo, Call of Duty and so many more. We thrive in finding ways to develop and celebrate our franchises outside of the games and be that extension of these fandoms via premium products and experiences brought to life.
“I am honoured to be selected as the keynote at this year’s BLE to discuss the state of licensing in the gaming industry, as well as Xbox’s strategy across its broad catalogue of hit game franchises, and how we seek to move people from interested to fan to evangelist through fresh and innovative consumer products programmes.”
BLE event director Ella Haynes commented: “When it comes to using consumer products to tap into global opportunities presented by fandom, the Xbox team is the gold standard and we can all learn a thing or two from them, so I’m over the moon that John Friend will be presenting our Day One keynote at BLE this September.
“With a global valuation of over $200 billion – more than film, TV and music combined – and 3 billion active players, the video games business is back to growth and looking strong. The biggest game of 2023 was Hogwarts Legacy – a whopping 22 million copies were sold – a game based on the Harry Potter license. The link between gaming and brand licensing is growing stronger year on year with consumer products proving to be an incredibly valuable tool in elevating fandom and loyalty by allowing fans to immerse themselves even deeper in the brand and its storylines, especially between release dates.”
Additional sessions confirmed so far for this year’s agenda include:
Tuesday 24 September
1000 Licensing 101: Learn the licensing basics
1100 State of the Nation: The Licensing Landscape of 2024
1230 Keynote 1 with John Friend
1345 How to build a lifestyle brand
Wednesday 25 September
1000 Licensing 101: Learn the licensing basics
1230 Keynote 2 – Crafty Licensing: Transforming a Business through Brand Licensing – with Sara Davies MBE
1600 Mapping a sustainable pathway: How the industry is adapting to new demands
More than 200 brands will be at BLE in September including gaming brands Xbox, Capcom, SEGA, Pokémon, Rebellion, BANDAI NAMCO, Rabbids, Rayman, RollerCoaster Tycoon, ESL, Banjo Kazooie, Just Dance, Atari, Farcry, The Sims, 2000 AD, The Bitmap Brothers, TEKKEN, PAC-MAN, Dark Souls, Elden Ring, Space Invaders, Warhammer and many more.
BLE takes place 24-26 September at ExCeL, London, visitors can register for a free pass now. The event is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
