Several major French and international companies, which you can meet at industry events like France Licensing Day, reveal their main licensing developments in various sectors such as entertainment, publishing and gaming.

A True Taste of French Excellence

2025 will be an intense year for TF1 Licensing with numerous celebrations!

The Voice café keeps attracting customers with its immersive dining experience in a restaurant decorated in the colors of the TV show, with casting sessions for the next season every Saturday. Ushuaïa Villages doubles its network of campsites , now boasting 33 eco-friendly sites across France. Miraculous’ Ladybug and Cat Noir celebrate their 10th anniversary with festivities in the second half of the year, while Season 6 premieres on TFOU on March 23. Fans can also enjoy activities at Château de Versailles from April. Barbapapa marks its 55th birthday with a press event in collaboration with Dragon d’Or, featuring workshops and product showcases. The Smurfs, meanwhile, will be arriving in theaters on July 16! Rihanna, who also plays Smurfette, has already announced a special collection with her Savage x Fenty brand.

Ubisoft creates original gaming experiences, enriching players’ lives with diverse games like Assassin’s Creed, Brawlhalla, Far Cry, Just Dance and much more. 

Through Ubisoft Connect and Ubisoft+, players have access to enhanced gaming services and a vast catalogue of more than 100 games. 

The latest installment, Assassin’s Creed Shadow, explores feudal Japan, where Naoe, an adept shinobi assassin from the province of Iga, and Yasuke, the powerful African samurai of historical legend, intertwine their stories in the midst of the Sengoku period, and discover a new era for Japan. Ubisoft generated €2.32 billion in net bookings for the 2023–24 fiscal year. 

80 years after its publication, Le Petit Prince continues to thrive globally. With over 300 million copies sold and more than 600 translations, it remains the most translated book.  The Culturespaces exhibition The Little Prince: the Immersive Odyssey was a success in Bordeaux at the end of 2024 with over 150,000 visitors. It will be presented in new venues in 2025, including the famous Atelier des Lumières in Paris.

Following the success of the licensed ranges with The Zara Home, Women’Secret and POP MART, new partners include Paperblanks for notebooks and stationery, the made-in-France textile brand Armor Lux, Palladium shoes and the maker of unique and faithful objects Cinereplicas. A drone show retelling the story of The Little Prince, produced by industry leader Dronisos, is upcoming in a number of exceptional locations. In 2026, with the 80th anniversary of the French publication of the book, a Chinese animated film will be released, produced by Stars Collective and El Pajaro Pictures Shanghai Co, Ltd. China is a key territory for the brand, with prestigious partners such as Hugo Boss, Thermos, Dove, Lipton and Miniso. The Little Prince character is also celebrated annually on 29 June.

Bioviva develops its brands under licence and works with renowned partners. The Nature Challenge (Défis Nature) card games are a playground phenomenon, allowing people of all ages to discover the world through play. The Nature Challenge brand offers over 100 games, with more than 7 million copies sold, ad it includes partnerships with Fleurus Editions for books, with over 40 titles available, including school diaries, non-fiction, detective stories, etc; Milan Presse for the flagship magazine Wapiti; Lunii for an audio book; Milan Editions for licensed sticky notes .

Nature Challenge is also associated with Merveilles du Monde chocolate since the relaunch of the brand in 2023, through exclusive maxi-cards to be cut out from the bars. 

This year, Bioviva has added the Hello Maestro – Once upon a time licence to its catalogue for its successful Enigmes collection, with three references inspired by the famous series Once upon a time… Those Funny Objects, Once upon a time… Space and Once upon a time… Life.

France falls in Love with Manga

VIZ Media, a global leader in manga and anime, has strengthened its European presence through strategic initiatives. It has brought licensing management in-house and secured worldwide rights (excluding Asia) for properties such as Ranma ½ and Bleach. In 2024, VIZ acquired Rilakkuma from San-X. 

This strategic evolution coincides with VIZ Media’s first participation at CoBrandz 2025, demonstrating its ambition to expand its presence in France and Europe, offering fans a diverse range of high-quality licensed products that celebrate the richness of Japanese culture.  Among the key licenses on display are Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, Ranma ½, and Rilakkuma.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is the latest adaptation of the iconic Disney+ series, generating various product categories including apparel, games, figurines, stationery and sodas.

Meanwhile, Ranma ½, known in France as one of the legendary Club Dorothée series, has been a huge success on Netflix in 2024 with its unique blend of martial arts and romantic comedy. The release of official merchandise (plush toys, statues and more) is planned for late 2025, including apparel, stationery, games, figurines, statues, and plush toys. Season 2 has been confirmed for release soon.

Finally, Rilakkuma, the adorable little bear Netflix series, is gaining popularity in Europe, with adult apparel and jewelry set to roll out this year.

Leading Entertainment Properties

Universal France creates the most innovative products & experiences that bring joy through its  slate of live-action and animated releases.

Universal Pictures will release How to Train Your Dragon, a breathtaking live action reimagining of the beloved franchise, on 11 June 2025, and Jurassic World: Rebirth on 4 July 2025. Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie premieres on 8 October 2025, and Wicked: For Good on 19 November 2025.

Looking ahead to 2026, Universal solidifies its leadership in animation with a strong lineup. April sees the return of Nintendo and Illumination’s blockbuster The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2, followed by a summer of laughs with Illumination’s Minions 3 in July 2026, and concluding with  Shrek 5 in December.

Universal’s strong franchises thrive beyond the cinema through retail, TV, and theme parks, supporting partnerships in France and beyond. The French team is being strenghthened with three new roles to better serve various partners in France & Benelux and generate growth with Universal’s AAA franchises (Gabby’s Dollhouse, Jurassic World, How To Train Your Dragon, Minions, Fast & Furious, Wicked), as well as iconic Pop Culture brands (E.T., Back to the Future, JAWS, Félix the Cat, etc.). They are committed to supporting multiple partnership projects, from retailers like Kiabi, King Jouet or Carrefour to leading brands such as Bic or Lush.  

Xilam Animation celebrates the 15th anniversary of Zig & Sharko with a range of activations including partnerships, meet-and-greets, and digital content. The loved non-dialogue slapstick comedy series is a global hit on Gulli, Netflix, and Warner Bros Discovery. On YouTube, it boasts over 35 million subscribers and 10 billion views.

Among the various initiatives, a meet and greet with costume characters for children at the Paris’s Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in April , screenings at the Aquarium du Grand Lyon, and collaborations with influencers. Xilam is seeking new partners for consumer products and has greenlit  the new fourth season of Where’s Chicky?

Additionally, the new CG animated slapstick comedy series Karate Sheep has been picked up by Gulli in the market, and the upcoming CG preschool series Piggy Builders will be launching on France Télévisions later this year. 

Hari‘s Grizzy & the Lemmings series continues to dominate the global animation landscape, ranking in the top 3 in France, the UK, and Germany, and in Netflix’s global top 10 for three years running. Its YouTube channel recently passed the 10 million subscriber mark.

Over the past year, Hari has expanded the show’s licensing presence in France and across EMEA with high-profile partnerships, including Fashion UK’s apparel collection, which launched in Primark stores across EMEA in March; Hachette’s publishing line; Coraya’s seafood snacks and tattoos, which launch in France and Germany in early 2025; and Trade Invaders’ board game, slated for release in Q4 2025 in select toy retailers. Recent collaborations include UHU and KFC. Hari is strengthening its global licensing strategy, including the imminent appointment of a master agent, to be announced soon. With four seasons available (312 x 7’) and a new season Grizzy & the Lemmings, Time Travel planned for 2027, Grizzy & the Lemmings remains a leading animation franchise. 

This year Hari’s team is available at Licensing Expo, and Brand Licensing Europe.

Curated by Rossella Arena, Licensing Magazine