Licensing with Jignesh Jain of Xerces (who acquired the rights to publish Cristiano Ronaldo mobile games)

Licensing is big business in the video game industry. Xerces Technologies are partners with Walt Disney and Marvel Comics, and more recently obtained the rights to make a mobile Cristiano Ronaldo game. Kenny Lomas caught up with Jignesh Jain, the Business Development Manager to talk about the importance of licensing.

Jignesh Jain is the Business Development Manager at Xerces Technologies, one of the leading mobile software solutions providers, and he is all too aware of the importance of licencing. His employer recently acquired the rights to publish a Cristiano Ronaldo mobile game, a major coup for the company. As well as this they are partners with Disney and as Disney own Marvel, they have the rights to some of their properties too.

Licensing in the videogame industry has become extremely important as it all but guarantees that the title will already have a dedicated fan base. Jignesh explains:  “Licensing is very crucial in the gaming industry. Today most of the top rated sports stars evolve from various different countries and need to have a stand. Unless a strong contender signs them up or licenses their official content selling would be indifferent. So, for brands to sell it is more important to tie up with a potential partner/distributor who can take the IP to maximize ROI.”

Unfortunately though, licensing creates a negative stigma amongst gamers, due to the poor quality of many licensed games. This is something that can be avoided, but too many companies are too focused on making a quick buck, and quality is looked over: “You need to partner with the right people who can deliver. Just because you have money does not mean you can develop international quality apps for brands that need no facelift. It should rather compliment their value rather than cannibalize. We strongly believe in quality before anything. Unless you derive a skill to deliver a world class app you are no good in the run.”

From a business perspective, obtaining a specific licence increases the chance of making a profitable product, which is why they are so valuable, but choosing the right one for your company can be a difficult task: “We have had a chance to obtain licenses for a variety of characters and public figures. Would you question the value before buying a Walt Disney game or product? When your kid knows Mickey, Donald or Iron Man; you have no room but to get him what he wants.

“A brand sells in two ways. Either by monetizing on selling content for it or the content compliments for that brand. Like rightly said by Simon Philips (creator of Marvel Comics),'We make movies to sell the merchandise that we produce. That means movies are an add on while the stuff is the main criteria. Cristiano Ronaldo needs no selling, the name itself sells. So when you have a user base of 12 million just on the official fan page, you can imagine what we are talking about now. “

Is it still important to ensure that the quality is of the highest standards even if you know that the product will sell regardless? All too often companies know this, but ignore the issue anyway: “Quality is a very important aspect which many developers do not keep into account while selling content for a big IP. I am a firm believer of quality over quantity and cannot compromise. If I have to depict Cristiano Ronaldo through a game it should be reflecting the character, style, attitude, etc. What is important is what you sell rather than how you sell? I know there are many developers ignore this aspect as they presume that the name itself is enough. But, we are in 2010 and the consumer is much smarter.

The consumer is indeed getting smarter and more importantly, they are getting more cautious on what they spend their hard earned cash on. There is glut of football games already on the market so it does it become a case of the better the brand the more likely it is to sell well? Jignesh isn’t certain: “I am not sure, but the fan following of a particular sports star is good enough to reckon that which one will sell more. Of course, the gameplay, concept, quality, etc are a few factors that come into consideration.”

Also, footballers are hardly known to be a well behaved bunch, just look at the recent scandal involving Wayne Rooney, and in the way he has gone from hero to zero in the public’s eyes. Surely bad publicity for a player can reflect on the brand of the game developer or publisher?

Jignesh believes that axing one product doesn’t have as big an impact as you might think: “We are independent game makers and we create a plethora of content for a wide range of customers. So, just by knocking one brand would not impact us in anyway. Today, the need is for a stable & ever growing partner and someone who can handle a large volume business.”

Whatever the brand, it is going to sell. Publishers know this, and they will continue to acquire them as long as that is the case. For many publishers, it I just business. But for Jignesh, he insists Working WITH Disney is much more than that: “I am living the dream and that came true with Walt Disney and Marvel Comics.

“I have always been passionate about super heroes, cartoon characters and the way we have spent our childhood watching them fly around. Today, we are the development partners with Walt Disney. I have these characters running in our studio and I feel tremendously connected with them. The world has endless opportunities. It’s just that you meet the right kind of people and at the right time. Glory stands right there.”

 Thanks for Speaking with WGE Jignesh