Stacey Bates-McCue reflects on 10 years of Fluid’s licensing division – and what’s next

Stacey, it’s always great to chat. Fluid’s licensing division celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. What prompted the launch back then?
I was working at SEGA at the time, producing more than 20 style guides a year. I was working with some wonderful creative agencies, and then a project landed on my lap where I was tasked to do a retro style guide for SEGA as an umbrella across Japan, EMEA and the US. It would span seven IPs and all of the different various consoles – it was a mammoth style guide and I knew I needed to use an agency connected with gaming.

I’d heard of Fluid – known for their geeky in-depth gaming knowledge at the time – and we connected about the project. I was nervous because they’d never done a style guide before, so I knew there was going to be a lot of handholding from my side. But I met James Glover and we got on straight away.

I gave Fluid the project and James said: “Great, send us all your assets” but we didn’t have any! So I went on eBay, and I brought all mint condition consoles and games that needed to feature in the guide. I shipped it to Fluid and said: “Here you go, here’s your assets!” And they absolutely smashed it. It taught me that you don’t necessarily need to know the ins and outs of licensing, you just need to be really good at what you do.

From there I stayed in contact with James and he reached out when they got another licensing project off the back of the SEGA style guide. I did the project as a freelancer and we smashed it, and then he brought me into Fluid full-time.

From there, the division has evolved from purely gaming to cover global entertainment brands and beyond. What projects over the years proved key to that evolution?
I think it was the relationship with Lionsgate on John Wick has to be one. That relationship started nine years ago and we’ve become one of their go-to agencies. Handling such a huge theatrical IP allowed us to actually be taken a little more seriously in the wider global entertainment space, so that was an important one.

UFC was also key because that was our first step into sports. And it was a totally different learning experience to theatrical and gaming. They had a logo and we weren’t focused on fighters, so we centred in on what UFC meant to the fans. And it just blew up – I think we did 14 trend kits with them in three years. That taught us: if you don’t have character, where else do you start to look for inspiration… So that was an important one.

And the other one I’d highlight was our first PAC-MAN project from four years ago. That was so iconic for me, Billy – a real pinch me moment.

You were a fan?
It had been on my bucket list. I was desperate to show them what we could do – and it’s been one of our biggest success stories. We’ve won multiple awards and continued to work with Namco Bandai on PAC-MAN – and now also on Tekken. That was great for us.

Did Fluid’s video game background shape any aspects to how your approach work in the licensing division?
I think it grounded us in having real respect for fans. Video game fans are so dedicated – and fandom across that community has so many different levels that if you get one detail wrong, they’re gone.

It also gave us a respect for the game creators. I don’t want to upset those amazing artists in the studios that have spent hours and hours creating these iconic characters and worlds. You have to put them on a pedestal through the creative as much as you put the consumers on a pedestal in gaming. You’ve got to understand their points of view.

“Our creative can’t be all in on one thing. It has to be layered.”

And on the flip side, has the other work of the department added a new dimension to how you tackle gaming briefs?
It’s definitely helped us understand the nuances of different fandoms. Our creative can’t be all in on one thing. It has to be layered. Look at PAC-MAN. I’m pushing that brand onto my kids because I grew up with it. So when it comes to product for that brand, it’s about servicing me as a parent, servicing me as my inner child and servicing my child in such a way that they think it’s cool enough that they tell their friends about it… That’s a whole host of different touch points, across two people. That’s something we’ve got to grips with more as we’ve worked with a wider pool of brands.

Looking ahead, what does the future hold for Fluid?
I’ve got an ADHD mind Billy, so my plans and ambitions change on a daily, if not hourly basis! The key thing is you’ve got to stay relevant. We can’t get complacent and we have to innovate.

How can we evolve style guides? How can we ensure they service more needs than they currently do? Could we introduce VR into the way clients engage with our guides? What different ways can we reach new clients?

I want to make sure that that Fluid continues to be culturally relevant. I want us to work on stuff that people can’t wait to see at retail. I want a happy team and cool projects and ultimately, for us to continue to evolve.