Anime meets Esports: Revenant secures Naruto merchandising rights

Revenant Esports has become the first organization in the country to officially collaborate with a broadcaster to acquire a merchandising license. The gaming powerhouse has secured the merchandising and peripherals license for the iconic Naruto franchise through a formal partnership, making it a pioneering move that combines anime fandom with competitive gaming in India.

This marks Revenant’s foray into the anime-themed merchandise space, with plans to release exclusive products including team jerseys, gaming mice, and mousepads.

According to sources familiar with the deal, Revenant Esports, as the merchandise licensee, will pay a royalty fee of 18% on net revenues earned from the sale of merchandise, post recoupment of a Minimum Guarantee Fee. The revenue share will be paid monthly to the licensor.

Rohit Jagasia, Founder and CEO of Revenant Esports confirmed the development and said, “The Naruto franchise in India has a huge following and we intend to merge its universe with our esports organization for creating a collaborative universe between esports fans and the Naruto franchise. We will be releasing our exclusive merchandise in the peripheral range including our team jerseys and computer peripherals such as gaming mouse, pads, etc. This collaboration will help enhance the brand presence across multiple categories.”

Sujoy Roy Bardhan, Head of Marketing, OAP, Licensing and Merchandising at Sony YAY!, confirmed the development, stating, "Naruto's viewership itself is a fairly large viewership. It is the single largest title that is watched on television today with respect to anime. Other than that, of course, the franchise extends on to Naruto Shippuden, which is like a follow-up series of Naruto."

Currently dominating India’s esports ecosystem with competitive rosters in Valorant, BGMI, Brawl Stars, and Pokémon Unite, Revenant Esports aims to build a crossover universe between esports and anime fans.