At Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, Shabnam Elmi, Director of International Licensing for Minecraft, talked to Licensing Magazine about the brand’s evolution into a global franchise, its upcoming entertainment slate, and the consumer products strategy that keeps a four-quadrant fan base engaged 365 days a year.

Few brands have traveled the distance Minecraft has — from gaming phenomenon to a sprawling, multi-platform franchise touching toys, fashion, food, education, and now location-based entertainment. Licensing Magazine met in Las Vegas with Shabnam Elmi, Director of International Licensing for Minecraft, to discuss where the brand stands today, what is coming next, and why listening to fans remains the engine of everything the team does.

How has Minecraft evolved from a game to a global franchise?

I think the difference now is that Minecraft is not just a game. We view it as it has always been–a platform for creativity and expression–and it continues to evolve in the ways that we see Minecraft showing up across various touchpoints. We are seeing the brand come to life through consumer products, content initiatives and broader entertainment experiences. Minecraft has always been more than just a game, and it continues to evolve in new and meaningful ways.

How do you connect continuous content creation with licensing development?

Nurturing a fan base at Minecraft’s scale requires orchestrating a constant stream of content while ensuring our licensing strategy evolves in parallel. We aim to align all of our brand expressions—whether they live within the game, across consumer products, or through Minecraft Education—around the core of what makes Minecraft unique: creativity and the community that inspires it. You can see that come to life through our major tentpole moments, such as film releases and other large-scale initiatives. We work to synchronize those moments across the ecosystem so that content, retail, and consumer products all launch with a cohesive visual identity and a connected experience for fans. At the same time, we continue to invest in our evergreen business, ensuring Minecraft remains relevant and present year-round. The goal is to create meaningful touchpoints throughout the entire year—365 days of opportunities for fans to engage with the brand.

Which are the core categories you are working on?

We have a very broad representation of categories. Some of the categories are, of course, toys, food and beverage, health and beauty, apparel, back-to-school, stationery, and seasonal. We’re really showing up in all of the key categories. We like to ensure that all the products that we have are really out there for our fans, which is four-quadrant. We have adults who love Minecraft, kids who love Minecraft, and everyone in between. So, we really work to ensure that we’re represented across all broad categories and target markets.

How do you relate to fans with the consumer products you develop?

Our fans love Minecraft, and whether they’re playing Minecraft, watching Minecraft on YouTube, or wearing it and expressing that through their clothing. So, we really listen to what our fans want, but we also want to make sure that we’re showing up for everybody. A Minecraft fan isn’t always just a hardcore gamer. It’s someone who just loves the brand, and they want to express themselves in a way that’s very natural and personal to them.

Can you anticipate any future plans for the brand?

We have a movie sequel in partnership with Warner Bros coming to theatres next summer. We also recently announced our partnership with Netflix for an animated series. We also have a really exciting program coming up with Chessington in the UK, so we’ll have more location-based entertainment happening next year. We’ll have Dungeons II coming out from a gaming perspective. Lots of big moments from Minecraft, from a tentpole perspective, with big entertainment franchises — but also, we’ll have game updates that we have with our core game as well. Entertainment has become a huge pillar of the Minecraft franchise. We have many things coming in the years ahead that I can’t reveal quite yet, but we have many moments happening in ’27 and ’28 that we’re looking forward to, all focused on the brand’s content evolution.

What are your plans at the Licensing Expo?

I’m looking forward to attending the Licensing Expo because it’s a great opportunity to connect with our partners in person. I’m excited to have meaningful conversations with current partners, meet prospective partners, and explore new categories. It’s also a valuable chance to check in with our retailers and ensure we’re continuing to meet their needs.