Tinderbox, Beanstalk’s digital media licensing division, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Founded in 2013, the division has evolved to specialize in extending digital brands into consumer products, including gaming, esports, streaming and Web3. It is partnered with major gaming studios, Microsoft, Activision, Atari, Ubisoft and ESL.

In recognition of this milestone anniversary, Tinderbox reflects on its decade of history and plans for celebration.

At the time of the division’s inception, Beanstalk identified that gaming was becoming a larger part of mainstream entertainment and beginning to command a significant portion of consumer leisure time. Already brokering in-game licensing deals for the agency’s automotive clients, Beanstalk identified a void in the licensing industry for a brand licensing agency expert at extending digital properties into the consumer products space. In response, Tinderbox was born.

“When Beanstalk was founded in 1992, entertainment licensing was not a primary focus for Beanstalk,” says Allison Ames, president and chief executive officer, Beanstalk. “As gaming launch weekends began mirroring the revenue and audience engagement of blockbuster film releases, we quickly recognized the opportunity to apply our strategic approach to cultivate gaming brands into evergreen properties, while also creating pop-culture moments around tentpole events.”

Upon Tinderbox’s inception in 2013, the division aimed to work with the world’s most-innovative and biggest gaming properties. After sharpening its capabilities in the mobile space, Tinderbox began to garner attention from some of the most-acclaimed console and PC game development studios in the world, forging long-term and highly successful partnerships that still exist today.

Tinderbox’s partnership with Microsoft commenced in 2014. Since then it has represented over a dozen of its most-significant and iconic gaming properties including Xbox, “Halo,” “Sea of Thieves,” “Ori,” “Killer Instinct” and “Banjo-Kazooie.”

Then in 2017, the Activision partnership was announced, expanding the Tinderbox roster with global mega-hits, “Call of Duty,” “Crash Bandicoot” and “Spyro the Dragon.” Shortly after that, Tinderbox’s first foray into esports was marked with the representation of the esports league, ESL.

More recently, Ubisoft joined the client roster with “Just Dance,” “Far Cry” and its upcoming Netflix original anime, “Captain Laserhawk,” marking a first for Tinderbox with digital-first streaming content. In 2022, Tinderbox was announced as the global agent for Atari and its iconic gaming titles, honoring the brand’s legacy and building upon its success to be a source of joy for future generations.

Combining a passion for and understanding of video games with solid brand extension credentials, the Tinderbox team boasts a knowledge of the needs of gaming studios and their fans; this inherent awareness has been a key driver in helping establish gaming as a success in the retail licensing landscape over the last 10 years. The division has experience managing fan-favorite titles – developing creative products that engage fans; establishing distribution and innovation across specialty, e-commerce and direct-to-consumer channels and forging mass and fast-fashion retail partnerships.

Educating the broader industry has also been vital to this success, with the team providing frequent thought pieces and participating in keynotes and panels. Looking forward, Tinderbox will always seek to explore new ways to react to the ever-evolving needs of its clients, brand owners and consumers in the digital space. Its recent partnership with Global Merchandising Services to activate in-game partnerships for its music icons confirms this. Additionally, Tinderbox is celebrating its milestone year at the Beanstalk booth at Licensing Expo and at Brand Licensing Europe in October.

“The last 10 years have seen Tinderbox achieve great things with our clients and their fantastic brands,” says Dave Tovey, assistant vice president, and head of digital media representation, Tinderbox. “We thank them for their support and belief in us. As we look to the next decade, we will continue to play our part in creating innovative experiences and products for digital-born properties, while driving new areas of growth connecting brands to gaming and the wider digital environment.”

To join the celebration and discuss licensing opportunities with Tinderbox, visit Beanstalk’s Licensing Expo booth G134 or Beanstalk.com for more information.

Register for Licensing Expo 2023.