Su-Yina Farmer and Sandra Arcan of Bits + Pixels on translating video game IP into authentic products and experiences – Brands Untapped

Guys, thanks for taking time out to chat. Bits + Pixels specialise in video games and ‘geek culture’. How would you define ‘geek culture’ today?
Su-Yina Farmer, Director, Bits + Pixels: Geek culture is our shorthand for the amazing, vibrant world of fandoms that were once considered niche but are now massive cultural forces! Think video games, comics and manga, anime, sci-fi, fantasy and horror media – and even brands born from internet sub-cultures. These aren’t isolated pockets; they represent interconnected fandoms that wield significant cultural impact and foster incredibly passionate, highly engaged and loyal communities.

We personally love geek culture, so that deep understanding allows us to truly connect with what these fandoms crave from their favorite brands, bringing genuine enthusiasm and insight to our work, and powering everything we do.

You are close to the fan community and have been involved in fan community events. Can you tell us more about this side of your business. How do you know what fans want?
Su-Yina: We work on all sorts of brand events, from pop-up shops and gaming tournaments to large-scale immersive community mixers. For us, these events are the very heart of the fandom. They’re where we bring a brand to life, letting fans connect with each other and the worlds they love in a tangible, physical way. Community events are vital to building a thriving, dedicated community in an increasingly digital world.

We start every event project with a total brand deep dive, and immerse ourselves in the fandom’s social spaces and discourse. We don’t just study a brand; we listen to the community, paying close attention to what fans genuinely love, whether it’s the world-building and escapism or the thrill of competition. Ultimately, it all comes down to a few key things: Fans want a sense of belonging, to show off their fandom pride –like with a great cosplay – and to know that the brands they love appreciate them.

We approach every event with that in mind, crafting experiences with attention to detail so that they feel truly tailor-made for the community. We always try to include some unexpected elements to add that extra bit of delight, for a unique event that creates a lasting memory that fans will talk about long after the event is over.

One of our favourite events to date is the immersive community mixer we produced for Destiny 2 to celebrate ‘The Dawning’ – the game’s winter festival. We meticulously recreated ‘The Tower’ – Destiny’s iconic social hub – complete with a themed bar, pop-up store, and dedicated photo opportunities. We even staged a game-show style ‘Dares of Eternity’ audience participation activity! The night was such a massive hit, and fans still ask when our next event will be.

Terrific. You have also taken gaming brands into the licensing market. One of these was Terraria. How did you pitch this to the market? And how do you ensure licensees fully understand the opportunity a brand like this brings them?
Sandra Arcan, Director, Bits + Pixels: Terraria is one of those games for which we have lost count of the number of people that, after reaching out to them to start a dialogue, are not only familiar with it but are effusive with their stories of playing it – whether some time ago or still to this day.

A licensee we recently reached out to told us they’ve spent over 1,000 hours in Terraria! Suffice to say, ‘if you know you know’, as it’s a true gem of a game for many reasons. However as it’s one that somewhat flies under the radar, there are of course many that are not so familiar with the game. In those cases, we have the dream combo of both very impressive performance stats to share and a licensor that is always very happy to provide those latest insights. It’s the insights that demonstrate just how beloved the brand is, whether the traditional sales numbers or ones that indicate how much time players tend to spend engaging with the brand – and the lengths they go to in order to express their passion for Terraria through original art or cosplay creations.

We also always make licensees aware of the various creative directions that the brand affords them, given there are so many fun and quirky characters, bosses, gear and environments to play with. This backed by a licensor that fully encourages as much creativity as possible – including original art – means that licensees such as Sanshee and Eighty Sixed have been able flex their creative muscle as much as they’d like, with some very cool products to show for it!

You have a lot of experience of working with apparel brands. Are there specific trends and market dynamics that you would highlight in the apparel sector at the moment? And how do you ‘translate’ gaming brands successfully design wise into apparel ranges?
Sandra: Big graphic prints, sometimes almost oversized, as well as slogans and designs that are generally quite bold are a big feature at fashion retail. There’s clearly an on-going appetite for nostalgia too, whether in the film, TV, music or videogame category, so we were able to bring those two things together for Boohoo Man on classic Tomb Raider, for example.

It’s important to find ways to interpret gaming brands with fashion retail trends in mind if you’re targeting that kind of visibility and, in a way, gaming is pretty perfect for the current trend of bold graphics. You can really show off some of the amazing in-game art or marketing key art that you see within the gaming space. Band t-shirts, team sports aesthetic and motorsports are also super popular, and it’s fun to think about what elements of a gaming brand could be adapted successfully and seamlessly to such trends – whether its leaning into a game’s class-based character system or taking some of the gnarly looking monsters and bosses to design what looks like a metal band shirt!

Ultimately though, we invariably work with partners to design apparel, whether bolder or more subtle, which give a nod to the things that are memorable and have some meaning for players that have spent a lot of time with a game. These tend to work particularly well on gaming brands’ own gear stores, where you’re appealing to the core fanbase. Here you don’t necessarily have to prioritise trends but what you believe the core audience will really want to see.

What advice would you give to gaming brands thinking about licensing their brand to third parties?
Sandra: Consider how to communicate what is special about your game from the lens of a licensee or retail buyer that may not be too familiar with the space. There’s normally so much you can say about any video game, and it can easily get into the realms of information overload, so we always prioritise putting together a brand deck that distills what the game is all about, and what makes it stand out in an approachable and effective way.

This should include a focus on the most popular characters and elements of the game that are most likely going to translate well into merchandise. It’s also very important to plan and organise art assets in the formats required for product developers that will eventually be made available to partners.

You worked with a company called Mehron for Resident Evil 2 Special FX Make Up Kits. How did this come about?
Sandra: Su-Yina and I are both big make up geeks and we’re very aware of brands across the mainstream and indie beauty space, as well as in the Special FX space – not least as we’ve been known to do a creative Halloween look or two in years past! So we were already familiar with Mehron and their status as an absolute leader in the professional special FX make up category. It wasn’t long before we got excited at the idea of them giving Resident Evil 2 fans the tools they needed to recreate the iconic Zombie Cop from the game.

Why the Zombie Cop in particular?
Sandra: The Zombie Cop is a look that doesn’t have to be done with utmost precision, so it made the idea of recreating it more approachable for the audience – and was also pretty perfect for the ever-popular Halloween season! Luckily Mehron agreed and were quickly on board to make it happen and to help produce some awesome tutorial content to go along with the eventual product launch.

What was key here to making the launch authentic to the game?
Sandra: Authenticity starts with understanding all the things that a fanbase loves about a particular IP – what’s iconic?What’s memorable? – and finding a partner brand that ideally has at least some overlapping brand DNA, an aesthetic and customer demographic that aligns. And, where possible, a unique product proposition that is somewhat unexpected, but makes immediate sense to the fans without need for explanation.

How are you finding the retail market at the moment?
Sandra: It seems it’s more important than ever, with consumers being extra mindful of the cost of living, that buyers are backing licenses that are going to deliver. As ever, certain genres – whether it be gaming, anime, motorsports or nostalgia – will come and go, and then come back around again. So if one of the aims is to secure visibility at mainstream retail, there may be some natural ebb and flow of trends that we need to navigate and find creative solutions for where possible. Speciality and direct-to-consumer gear stores, on the other hand, are more of a constant and allow for a more uninterrupted, consistent merchandise proposition.

All the gaming brands we represent have very passionate and attentive fanbases, and the licensors are very willing to work with retailers to direct their huge audience straight to them via their highly engaged social platforms. With the combination of product design that aligns with what works for a retailer’s demographic, and a well thought out marketing strategy, our brands can help achieve sales targets. They can also stand out from the competition with a differentiated – perhaps unexpected but actually very cool – brand offering.

You recently announced that Bits & Pixels are representing CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher series, Cyberpunk 2077 and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners for brand collaborations. Can you tell us about these brands and what sort of collaborations you are looking for?
Su-Yina: CD Projekt Red are masters of storytelling and world-building, which is why The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 franchises boast some of the most passionate and deeply engaged fanbases globally. These are universes overflowing with rich lore, iconic characters and a bold, distinct visual aesthetic – making them fertile ground for genuinely inspired and impactful collaborations. We’re so thrilled and excited to be working on these brands!

The Witcher video game series plunges players into a dark-fantasy world inspired by Slavic and European folklore. In the games you play a monster slayer, as you navigate a world brimming with magic, political intrigue and dangerous creatures. Its immense success has naturally led to a hugely popular Netflix TV show.

Cyberpunk 2077 drops you into Night City, a sprawling, vibrant, yet perilous megalopolis obsessed with power and body modification. As V, a mercenary fighting for survival, the game expertly blurs the lines between humanity and technology, a hallmark of the best cyberpunk narratives. Then Cyberpunk: Edgerunners adds another electrifying layer. This acclaimed Netflix anime spin-off returns to Night City, following David’s intense journey and the fierce bonds he forges as he rises through the ranks of the edgerunners.

We’re seeking collaborations that feel deeply authentic, spark genuine excitement and thoughtfully showcase the unique qualities of both partners. Our approach is to think outside the box and from every angle, aiming to bring these iconic brands to life in fresh, unique ways that haven’t been explored before – creating hype-worthy and desirable collections for fans.

“We’re seeking collaborations that feel deeply authentic, spark genuine excitement and thoughtfully showcase the unique qualities of both partners.”

What challenges are there around getting gaming brands ‘fit for licensing’ design-wise?
Sandra: Making art assets available for the most notable elements of a gaming brand, whether key characters or iconic gear, in the right format for product development is critical. Any 3D development such as statues and plush would, of course, need 3D assets. And even if not presented in a traditional style guide package, it’s really important to organise the assets so it’s all digestible information for the designers looking to create a licensed collection.

In addition, the more clarity there is about what elements can be combined and which would not make sense to put together can save a lot of time. This is particularly pertinent with expansive on-going games which have had numerous character-building developments over the years. We’ve had to navigate this a lot with on-going games like Destiny 2 and Black Desert.

Timing is normally a recurring theme. If the aim is to have licensed products ready to go with the launch of a new game, a sequel, expansion or new seasonal content drop, assets need to be made available in time to do so. That can often be a challenge as final ‘locked’ assets might not feasibly be ready in good time. In that case, we look at ways to have something launch which would still be in high demand, looking at evergreen elements of the game which may have some relevance to the new content. We’d then follow up with collections featuring new assets a little while after. Sometimes that works even better, as players will have had time to get immersed in the experience and, as such, will want to seek out some cool products even more than otherwise.

Finally, imagine you have the keys to your own fantasy gaming arcade. What five arcade games are you going to put in there and why ?
Su-Yina: It’s a tough decision to choose just five, but here goes…

First, SEGA’s House of the Dead 2. It absolutely has to be this classic. As a huge fan of horror, zombies, Disney’s Haunted Mansion ride, and terrible 90s video game dialogue, this rail shooter with light guns has it all! It’s a ghost train ride through a zombie-infested Venice and maze-like gothic buildings, with ghouls and zombies leaping out at you – many inexplicably sporting jeans and extremely buff upper bodies – who knew the House of the Dead was also a gym? I played it obsessively on the Dreamcast, hoping to look competent in the arcade… I was not.

Second pick would be Ikaruga. It was the first shoot ‘em up (‘shmup’) that I got completely obsessed with. It’s a mesmerising ‘bullet hell’ game – that is to say, there are quite a few bullets on screen to navigate, all floating around like deadly but beautiful, synchronised swarms. For me, the evocative artwork – the spaceship designs are spectacular – and music really stood out from every other game at the time.

Next up would be Alien 3. While not strictly an arcade cabinet, Alien 3 for the SEGA Mega Drive is truly ‘arcady’ and an all-time favourite on the console. Genuinely stressful like all good Alien video games. You play as Ripley, racing against a brutal time limit to rescue prisoners from chest-bursting doom, all while dodging relentless Xenomorphs and facehuggers. It’s underscored by a pulsating 16-bit techno-synth soundtrack and incredibly satisfying sound effects. Pure adrenaline.

Every arcade needs a rhythm game, and for that, it’s Taiko No Tatsujin. This popular Japanese drumming game is a blast, with eye-wateringly cute and chaotic visuals. It’s the most fun you can have in an arcade, especially when you rope in a friend for furious, synchronized drumming – belting out the Evangelion theme tune on full-sized Taikos is an experience everyone needs! While I have a console version at home with mini drums, nothing beats the booming sound of the real thing.

Finally, no arcade is complete without a driving game, and my pick is Initial D. Based on the iconic manga and anime, you’re tearing through the winding mountain roads of Hakone in classic JDM cars, mastering the art of the drift. You see your opponents’ faces sweating as you leave them in a cloud of dust, all set to a pumping eurobeat soundtrack – such a vibe! But the real innovation was the ‘Driver’s License’ card system: save your player profile such as progress, your custom character, and car tuning data after each session. The cards came with different artwork and were super collectible – such a cool idea!

Fantastic! Thanks again to you both!