The Pokémon Company caught $10.8 billion from merch and licenced goods last year
| Date | Type | Companies Involved | Key Datapoint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 29, 2024 | report | The Pokemon Company | $10.8 billion |
- The sum brings lifetime Pokémon revenue from merchandising to $91.6 billion
- Pokémon remains the highest-grossing media franchise in the world
The Pokémon Company was the world’s seventh biggest licensor in 2023, generating $10.8 billion from goods licenced to use the company's IP.
This figure comes from License Global’s Top Global Licensors Report 2024 powered by Sega, which ranked The Pokémon Company among the cream of the crop for licenced revenue for last year’s figures.
The sum also brings lifetime Pokémon revenue from merchandising to $91.6 billion, maintaining its position as the highest-grossing media franchise on the planet.
Purchasing power
Pokémon’s 2023 licence earnings were its second highest on record, exceeding the mid-pandemic boom of $8.5 billion in 2021. Earnings did decline from the $11.6 billion generated in 2022, however; that was the year open-world Nintendo Switch games Pokémon Scarlet and Violet released, triggering a swathe of new merchandise based on its brand-new collectable creatures.
Scarlet and Violet’s new characters also spawned further licenced goods into 2023 and beyond, including multiple trading card game expansions such as Paldea Evolved and Paradox Rift. A selection of new species were introduced to mobile goliath Pokémon Go last year too.
And speaking of mobile, 2023 also saw the launch of $100 million maker Pokémon Sleep, designed to promote healthy sleep with gamified mechanics. The franchise has five big mobile games currently active with regular updates.
"With continued mainstream interest in the property, Pokémon has established itself as a coveted collaborator," said License Global in its report.
Broader brands
Among Pokémon’s few 2023 superiors was Hasbro, which ranked fifth with $14.1 billion from licenced goods including the then-new mobile hit Monopoly Go!, which has since surpassed $3 billion in earnings.
Unsurprisingly it was the Walt Disney Company that topped License Global’s list, well known for licencing out its characters for toy lines, apparel and, of course, video games. Disney’s licenced goods generated $62 billion in 2023.
Across all licencing opportunities, License Global identified toys, games, and location-based entertainment among the "leading categories" to emerge last year.
Companies
