Benchmarks — Sony vs Non-Sony

Five non-Sony franchises anchor the model against the wider licensed-merch market: Resident Evil, Final Fantasy VII, Elden Ring, Persona, and Metal Gear Solid.

Sony IP: a direct path

Sony and PlayStation-led franchises may offer a single licensing conversation through the official PlayStation licensing program — one rights holder, one approval chain. For a small company, that practicality is worth several points of raw demand.

Non-Sony publishers run developed programs

Capcom, Square Enix, Bandai Namco, ATLUS, and Konami all operate mature merchandising programs. Their franchises arrive with proven demand and established licensees — which means competing with the publisher's own catalog.

Big third-party IP has demand but little whitespace

Resident Evil and Elden Ring post enormous audience numbers, but their merch shelves are already full. High demand with saturated supply is a weak first move for a newcomer.

High demand can still be a poor first license

Final Fantasy VII's collector economics are extraordinary, yet demanding approvals and thin whitespace make it a poor first license for a small company. The benchmarks exist to calibrate expectations, not to be chased first.

Group averages

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Side by side

Franchise	Ownership	Overall	Raw demand	Momentum	Collector behavior*	Licensing difficulty	Competition†	Confidence	Recommendation
Helldivers 2	PlayStation-led	86.0	88.3	9.5	8.0	5/10	1.5/10	High · 85	Priority
God of War	Sony-owned	85.1	87.2	8.0	8.8	4/10	3.8/10	Medium · 78	Priority
Ghost of Tsushima	Sony-owned	85.0	84.9	8.3	8.2	4/10	2.0/10	Medium · 80	Priority
Astro Bot	Sony-owned	83.5	81.6	8.0	7.2	3/10	0.8/10	Medium · 79	Strong Pursuit
Horizon	Sony-owned	83.2	82.8	8.0	7.8	4/10	2.5/10	Medium · 77	Strong Pursuit
Resident Evil	Non-Sony	75.8	81.0	7.8	7.9	7/10	6.4/10	Medium · 77	Selective Pursuit
Final Fantasy VII	Non-Sony	75.5	81.2	7.4	8.7	8/10	6.6/10	Medium · 73	Selective Pursuit
Persona	Non-Sony	74.5	78.2	7.0	7.8	7/10	5.0/10	Medium · 69	Test or Monitor
Elden Ring	Non-Sony	72.8	79.7	7.1	7.6	8/10	7.9/10	Medium · 75	Test or Monitor
Metal Gear Solid	Non-Sony	72.5	76.0	5.6	8.1	7/10	4.0/10	Medium · 64	Test or Monitor

* Pricing-power criterion used as the collector-behavior proxy. † Competition shown as 10 − whitespace. Shaded rows are the non-Sony benchmarks.

Benchmark assessments

#14 Resident Evil

Selective Pursuit

Audience scale: Massive: >200M lifetime units, broad horror mainstream reach.
Collector behavior: Strong and durable; anniversary drops reliably convert collectors.
Product breadth: Very wide official catalog — most categories already served.
Best formats: Apparel, jackets, bags, pins, posters, drinkware, Halloween capsules.
Small-company practicality: Demand is proven but whitespace is thin; realistic only via a narrow, event-framed niche license.

#15 Final Fantasy VII

Selective Pursuit

Audience scale: Very large: franchise >~173M units; Remake alone >~7M.
Collector behavior: Extreme willingness — the widest price elasticity in the benchmark set.
Product breadth: Extensive first-party catalog from stationery to premium statues.
Best formats: Premium collectibles, jewelry, posters, vinyl/music, books, apparel.
Small-company practicality: Poor first license: approvals are demanding and whitespace is minimal; watch for narrow collector niches instead.

#17 Persona

Test or Monitor

Audience scale: Moderate: >~15M franchise units, concentrated in a young, engaged cohort.
Collector behavior: Fashion-and-stationery buying more than statue collecting.
Product breadth: Publisher programs cover apparel, stationery, bags, music.
Best formats: Fashion apparel, school/faction products, stationery, posters, pins, bags.
Small-company practicality: Middling: audience fit is excellent for apparel/stationery, but ATLUS's own programs occupy the obvious ground.

#20 Elden Ring

Test or Monitor

Audience scale: Very large: >~30M base-game units with global reach.
Collector behavior: High collector spend; statues and premium editions sell through.
Product breadth: Official ecosystem spans plush, jackets, vinyl, statues, collectibles.
Best formats: Premium apparel, figures, plush, jewelry, art, décor.
Small-company practicality: Weak first license: whitespace is the thinnest on the board and premium expectations raise capital requirements.

#21 Metal Gear Solid

Test or Monitor

Audience scale: Large but aging: >~66M sales/downloads across three decades.
Collector behavior: Premium legacy collecting; patches and insignia convert well.
Product breadth: Moderate official breadth; periodic drops rather than evergreen range.
Best formats: Tactical apparel, patches, bags, desk accessories, posters, collectibles.
Small-company practicality: Middling: iconography suits small-batch product, but Konami approvals and modest momentum temper the case.

Side by side

Franchise	Ownership	Overall	Raw demand	Momentum	Collector behavior*	Licensing difficulty	Competition†	Confidence	Recommendation
Helldivers 2	PlayStation-led	86.0	88.3	9.5	8.0	5/10	1.5/10	High · 85	Priority
God of War	Sony-owned	85.1	87.2	8.0	8.8	4/10	3.8/10	Medium · 78	Priority
Ghost of Tsushima	Sony-owned	85.0	84.9	8.3	8.2	4/10	2.0/10	Medium · 80	Priority
Astro Bot	Sony-owned	83.5	81.6	8.0	7.2	3/10	0.8/10	Medium · 79	Strong Pursuit
Horizon	Sony-owned	83.2	82.8	8.0	7.8	4/10	2.5/10	Medium · 77	Strong Pursuit
Resident Evil	Non-Sony	75.8	81.0	7.8	7.9	7/10	6.4/10	Medium · 77	Selective Pursuit
Final Fantasy VII	Non-Sony	75.5	81.2	7.4	8.7	8/10	6.6/10	Medium · 73	Selective Pursuit
Persona	Non-Sony	74.5	78.2	7.0	7.8	7/10	5.0/10	Medium · 69	Test or Monitor
Elden Ring	Non-Sony	72.8	79.7	7.1	7.6	8/10	7.9/10	Medium · 75	Test or Monitor
Metal Gear Solid	Non-Sony	72.5	76.0	5.6	8.1	7/10	4.0/10	Medium · 64	Test or Monitor

* Pricing-power criterion used as the collector-behavior proxy. † Competition shown as 10 − whitespace. Shaded rows are the non-Sony benchmarks.

Benchmark assessments

#14 Resident Evil

Selective Pursuit

Audience scale: Massive: >200M lifetime units, broad horror mainstream reach.
Collector behavior: Strong and durable; anniversary drops reliably convert collectors.
Product breadth: Very wide official catalog — most categories already served.
Best formats: Apparel, jackets, bags, pins, posters, drinkware, Halloween capsules.
Small-company practicality: Demand is proven but whitespace is thin; realistic only via a narrow, event-framed niche license.

#15 Final Fantasy VII

Selective Pursuit

Audience scale: Very large: franchise >~173M units; Remake alone >~7M.
Collector behavior: Extreme willingness — the widest price elasticity in the benchmark set.
Product breadth: Extensive first-party catalog from stationery to premium statues.
Best formats: Premium collectibles, jewelry, posters, vinyl/music, books, apparel.
Small-company practicality: Poor first license: approvals are demanding and whitespace is minimal; watch for narrow collector niches instead.

#17 Persona

Test or Monitor

Audience scale: Moderate: >~15M franchise units, concentrated in a young, engaged cohort.
Collector behavior: Fashion-and-stationery buying more than statue collecting.
Product breadth: Publisher programs cover apparel, stationery, bags, music.
Best formats: Fashion apparel, school/faction products, stationery, posters, pins, bags.
Small-company practicality: Middling: audience fit is excellent for apparel/stationery, but ATLUS's own programs occupy the obvious ground.

#20 Elden Ring

Test or Monitor

Audience scale: Very large: >~30M base-game units with global reach.
Collector behavior: High collector spend; statues and premium editions sell through.
Product breadth: Official ecosystem spans plush, jackets, vinyl, statues, collectibles.
Best formats: Premium apparel, figures, plush, jewelry, art, décor.
Small-company practicality: Weak first license: whitespace is the thinnest on the board and premium expectations raise capital requirements.

#21 Metal Gear Solid

Test or Monitor

Audience scale: Large but aging: >~66M sales/downloads across three decades.
Collector behavior: Premium legacy collecting; patches and insignia convert well.
Product breadth: Moderate official breadth; periodic drops rather than evergreen range.
Best formats: Tactical apparel, patches, bags, desk accessories, posters, collectibles.
Small-company practicality: Middling: iconography suits small-batch product, but Konami approvals and modest momentum temper the case.