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🗓️ Friday, 16th Jan 2026
👋 Hi, and welcome back to Licensing Radar - your weekly signal on where licensing is heading - decoded by RAD Worldwide.
Gaming platforms are no longer just places where fans play — they’re where culture is created, owned, and monetised.
As platforms like Roblox evolve from open, creator-first environments into structured IP ecosystems, they are sending a clear signal to global sports rights holders, such as FIFA: the future of licensing will be governed, participatory, and platform-native.
This shift has major implications for how football IP is protected, distributed, and scaled in digital environments.
Gaming platforms are prioritising IP management as core infrastructure, introducing clearer ownership rules, creator permissions, and monetisation frameworks to support long-term creator economies.
Image Source: Licensing Global
Why This Matters for Licensing
For sports IP such as FIFA, licensing inside gaming is no longer about single-title deals or logo placement. It’s about designing systems where:
Fans actively build and remix IP
Creators monetise officially, not informally
Platforms reduce risk while increasing scale
Rights holders retain cultural and commercial control
Without structured IP governance, platforms can’t scale — and rights holders risk losing influence over how their IP lives inside games.
Key Learnings From the FIFA × Roblox Signal
1. IP Management Has Become Platform Infrastructure
IP governance is no longer a back-office legal function. It’s foundational to how platforms enable creators, monetisation, and long-term growth.
2. Fans Are Now Builders, Not Just Consumers
On platforms like Roblox, football fans don’t just engage — they create worlds, avatars, and experiences. Licensing models must adapt to participation, not passive consumption.
3. Football Culture Is Forming Outside Traditional Games
Younger fans are experiencing football through social play, virtual identity, and creator-led worlds — often before watching full matches or buying physical merchandise.
4. Monetisation Is Fragmented but Exponential
Revenue is no longer concentrated in one deal. It’s spread across virtual items, experiences, creator revenue shares, and long-tail engagement.
5. Governance Enables Creativity, Not Control
Clear IP rules don’t limit creativity — they unlock safer, scalable creation that benefits fans, creators, platforms, and rights holders.
3. Strategic Learnings for Licensing & IP Leaders
1. Shift From Product Licensing to Ecosystem Licensing
Rights holders like FIFA must license how IP is used across an ecosystem, not just where it appears. This includes creators, UGC, virtual goods, and social play.
2. Introduce Tiered IP Access Models
Not every creator needs a full commercial license. Tiered access (fan use, creator use, commercial use) allows scale without loss of control.
3. Treat Gaming Platforms as Fan Operating Systems
Platforms like Roblox are becoming the daily interface for fandom, not promotional extensions. Licensing strategies must reflect their depth and permanence.
4. Redesign Revenue Expectations
Future growth will come from many small revenue streams, not a few large deals. Licensing teams must embrace revenue sharing and long-tail upside.
5. Govern Culture, Don’t Police It
The goal is not enforcement-first control, but cultural governance — shaping how football IP evolves inside participatory platforms.
Key Learnings
The FIFA × Roblox signal is clear:
The future of licensing will be participatory, governed, and platform-native.
Rights holders that design IP systems early will shape culture. Those who don’t will inherit it.
If you’re a sports rights holder, IP owner, or platform navigating creator economies, virtual fandom, and next-generation licensing models, RAD Worldwide works at the intersection of licensing, partnerships, and fan behaviour.
👉 Get in touch with RAD to explore how your IP can scale responsibly — without losing cultural control.
About Me
I founded RAD Worldwide to help IP reach its fullest potential, transforming ideas into products, partnerships, and experiences that connect with fans globally. With over a decade of experience in licensing, IP expansion, and go-to-market strategy across sports, entertainment, and creator-led brands, I’ve built fan-first strategies and global partnerships across the UK and India, turning IP into long-term value.
🖋Nilesh Deshmukh
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