Crossover IP will dominate UGC gaming
The growing emergence of UGC environments such as Roblox and Fortnite will show little sign of slowing down and we can expect to see more brands, more IPs and more rights holders entering this space. With the World Cup 2026 in the US looming and a large portion of both worlds’ userbase state-side, expect to see traditional football rights holders get more involved; however, don’t expect to see vanilla activations. Anime and Football are mixing, Music and Football are integrating and Gaming and Football are evolving, therefore expect to see exciting mash-ups projects. 79% of 8 – 34 year-olds say that playing video games has fuelled their passion for real life sport. Gaming as the new social currency is upon us and where you’re a brand, IP holder or creator, if you want to stay relevant and reach youth culture, you’ll need a gaming strategy.
LFG for GTA
Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Spider-man 2, Citizen Sleeper 2, Split Fiction and Borderlands 4 all get released this year, however one game will outshine them all, Grand Theft Auto VI. Set to be released at some point in 2025, the game is expected to beat the record of GTA 5, which sold 205,000,000 copies. The original teaser trailer in 2023 has 235 million views alone, highlighting that the hype is real. GTA 6 could potentially bring a more adult element to the world of UGC too with excellent opportunities for 18+ alcohol and betting brands.
Will V-streamers and AI become the norm?
Will we see more and more V-streamers dominate streaming in 2025? Will AI become a stablemate of the streaming experience, both in terms of content generation and engagement? While we have seen some backlash to Meta’s AI accounts, the signs are pointing more and more to the integration of AI in streaming. AI co-hosts interacting with their human counterparts is already here while Neuro-sama, an AI streamer, developed by Vedal987 has 725k followers. This will fast become the new norm. The question becomes how authenticity can still be experienced. Audiences connect with authentic experiences and brands go where eyeballs stay. Strategies that connect both will win in this new tech world.
Switched on to the Nintendo Switch
The highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 will release in H2 of 2025. Pre orders for this console are expected to be high with Mario Kart 9 rumoured to be among the games included. The Switch 2 is expected to sell between 14-20 million units within the first year according to some analysts. Since its release in 2017 the original Nintendo Switch has sold over 140M units.
User numbers to increase
Roblox and Fortnite will go toe to toe on concurrent users. Late December Roblox broke the 12M concurrent user mark and that number will rise this year as the quality of games and creator element increases. Games like Blox Fruits, Dress to Impress, Brookhaven RP and Adopt Me!, will embrace seasonal events to drive users. Likewise, Fortnite will continue to raise the dial via their official partnership with Disney and Lego, not to mention their ability to tap into mainstream culture with musical cross-overs.
The trend of games to series and movies continues
Despite the box office failure of Borderlands, 2024 was another good year for the cross-over from gaming to movies and TV. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has to date earned over 422M at the box office while FallOut received a very strong critical response. 2025 looks set to carry on that trend with the Last of Us season 2, the Minecraft movie, Mortal Kombat 2 and Until Dawn all coming this year. We may even hear of a date for a Legends of Zelda movie.
The commercialisation of creator IP in UGC platforms will become even more commonplace. With less certainty on retaining youth audiences on other platforms (TikTok uncertainty) it’s more important than ever that creators show up in areas that increase their brand relevance and audience to which bands will naturally follow.
The rise of Fan Culture in Ireland
Ireland has seen a growing number of cosplay/fan culture events on the scene in recent times, from Dublin Comic Con (who have just announced an additional event to their roster – Horror Con!) to GamerFest and MegaCon. Clearly there’s an appetite for all things cosplay, comics & collectibles. These events also have links to Esports and Gaming, Dublin Comic Con for example with a whole floor in the Convention Centre dedicated to this, with live tournaments and free to play gaming stations. We are already helping brands activate in these spaces where they have access to footfall of up to 20,000+ fans over a single weekend.
Download our infographic below detailing stats and trend predictions for 2025:
