Eugene Evans

Eugene Evans has enjoyed over 40 years in digital games and entertainment. He has held senior roles in studio management, marketing, licensing and business development at such industry pioneers and leaders as Viacom, Mythic Entertainment, Electronic Arts, Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro, including several successful exits. He recently led the team that positioned Hasbro as the #1 digital gaming licensor by U.S. revenue according to Aldora, fueled by the success of Scopely's MONOPOLY GO! and Larian Studios' award-winning Baldur’s Gate III. He currently advises the next generation of gaming innovators, including startups Infinity Fiction and Magic Circle. 

Pros & Cons of Licensed IP in Game Development

This roundtable will delve into the strategic considerations and pros and cons of leveraging licensed intellectual property versus developing games with original content. The roundtable participants will dissect the relative advantages and disadvantages of each approach, examining the impact on user acquisition, including the built-in audience and marketing power of established brands versus the freedom and potential for breakout success with new concepts. The discussion will explore the creative implications for game design and live operations, weighing the constraints and opportunities of adapting existing worlds and characters against the blank canvas of original IP. Finally we will touch on the value of IP in a world of Gen AI content.