Tinderbox Celebrates 10 Years
Tinderbox, Beanstalk’s digital media licensing division, is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Founded in 2013, the division has evolved to specialize in extending digital brands – including gaming, esports, streaming and Web3 – into the world of consumer products, and 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 on behalf of 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 the agency,” says Allison Ames, president & CEO, 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 purpose of the division was to work with the most innovative and biggest gaming properties in the world. Tinderbox first found success working with popular mobile gaming properties, and then 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 their largest and iconic gaming properties including Xbox, Halo, Sea of Thieves, Ori, Killer Instinct and Banjo-Kazooie.
In 2017, Tinderbox’s collaboration with Activision® was announced, expanding its roster with the global mega-hits Call of Duty®, Crash Bandicoot® and Spyro the Dragon®. Shortly thereafter, Tinderbox’s first foray into e-sports was marked with the representation of the esports league, ESL.
More recently, Ubisoft joined the client roster with Just Dance, Far Cry and their 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 legacy of the brand and building upon its success to be a source of joy for generations to come.
Combining its passion for gaming with Beanstalk’s best-in-class brand management services, Tinderbox has been a key driver in helping to establish a 365-day-a-year retail presence for its clients over the last 10 years. Tinderbox has also served as a frequent thought leader, educating the licensing industry on the power of gaming.
Looking forward, Tinderbox will continue to explore new ways to react to the ever-evolving trends within the digital space. Its recent partnership with Global Merchandising Services to activate in-game partnerships for their music and entertainment icons confirms this. Tinderbox will be celebrating its milestone year at the Beanstalk booth at Licensing Expo in June and Brand Licensing Europe in October.
“The last 10 years has seen Tinderbox achieve great things with our clients and their fantastic brands. We thank them for their support and belief in us,” says Dave Tovey, AVP, Head of Digital Media Representation. “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.”
