346. Why Mattel Wants Studios to Pitch the Uncomfortable
About this episode
The episode discusses how studios can secure IP deals with Mattel and the implications of such partnerships.
Mattel owns Barbie, Hot Wheels, UNO, Masters of the Universe and Street Sharks. Marcus Liassides runs its digital business, which now Roblox, Fortnite, and a licensing program that puts Mattel IP in creators' hands without approving what they build with it. This episode is about how a studio actually gets an IP deal with Mattel, and what you get beyond the logo.00:00 - Why Mattel is at a games summit01:13 - The Roblox bet04:18 - Why studios stay skeptical06:22 - AI and why IP matters more10:46 - What Mattel actually wants pitched13:57 - Where pitches go wrong17:40 - Beyond the license19:15 - MGs, rev share and dev funding23:57 - The approvals question26:44 - Barbie's UA guardrails29:29 - Exclusivity
People in this episode
Guest: Marcus Liassides
Topics covered
- IP deals
- gaming industry
- studio pitches
- Mattel properties
- digital business
- licensing
- AI in gaming
Keywords
- Mattel
- IP deals
- gaming
- studios
- licensing
- Barbie
- Roblox
- Fortnite
- digital business
- AI
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Mattel, Roblox, Fortnite
Products: Barbie, Hot Wheels, UNO, Masters of the Universe, Street Sharks
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