Bella Mascheroni

Bella is Director of Business Development at Disney, where she leads Disney & Pixar Games licensing within the Disney Games Group. She began her career in the games department at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), working with studios including Obsidian, Iron Galaxy, Respawn, and CD Projekt RED. She later worked at Microsoft on game publishing, ID@Xbox, and the launch of Xbox Game Pass as part of the Xbox first-party team, followed by Amazon where she supported Twitch Prime / Prime Gaming partnerships. She subsequently joined Unity, focusing on interactive brand activations and real-time 3D experiences for non-gaming companies.

Borrowed Worlds: Does Non-Gaming IP Help or Hurt Game Success?

Using established IP from film, television, comics, music, sports, and consumer brands can offer instant recognition, built-in audiences, reduced marketing friction, and a sense of market safety for platforms and investors alike. At the same time, the games industry is littered with nearly as many high-profile IP-driven failures as successes. So when does licensed IP empower developers to break through an increasingly saturated market...and when does it constrain creativity, distort design priorities, or mask deeper product issues?

This roundtable explores the complex tradeoffs of adapting non-gaming IP into interactive experiences. Join Bella Mascheroni (Disney Games Group) to discuss several key topics and questions including but not limited to:

• Discussing licensing realities: How does the IP influence the product such as creative fit versus brand fit, audience translation across media, gameplay-first versus IP-first development, scope, monetization, live operations, and long-term sustainability?
• Examining player appetite for IP adaptations: Are audiences experiencing franchise fatigue? What role do nostalgia cycles and time gaps play in successful revivals? When does fan service and wish fulfillment - such as inhabiting familiar characters and worlds - meaningfully enhance player experience, and when does it become a liability?
• Sharing tangible case studies: what separates breakout successes from expensive misfires? And how should studios of different sizes (indie, AA, and AAA) evaluate when considering adapting IP?