Brand Collaborations: Why Businesses are Massively Venturing into Game Development

Kirill Mukhanov, co-founder of the gaming studio BlackHub Games, in a recent interview with RBC, highlighted the key reasons for the growing interest of brands in gaming collaborations and shared a successful case study. In an article for App2Top based on the interview, he elaborated in detail on what drives this trend and how to maximize its benefits.

Kirill Mukhanov, co-founder of the gaming studio BlackHub Games

Why Brands are Entering Games: The New Realities of Marketing

The increase in collaborations (Nike in Roblox, Balenciaga in League of Legends, X5 in Atomic Heart, etc.) is not a coincidence but a reflection of several structural shifts.

Access to a valuable audience. We're talking about two key groups: adult gamers (aged 25–35) with stable income and, importantly, young gamers. Brands focusing on the latter see this as a chance to build future loyalty.
The crisis of traditional channels. As traditional advertising becomes less effective, games are evolving from an exotic option to a necessity for retaining consumer attention.
New business opportunities. It's no longer just about reach. Integration is a tool for boosting loyalty, generating leads, and, as shown by examples like Gucci and Louis Vuitton, a full-fledged source of income from digital goods. Practice confirms that virtual goods can be as valuable as physical ones.

The Russian Market: Interest Exists, but the Approach is Cautious

In Russia, demand for gaming integrations has entered an active growth phase. However, brands act cautiously, preferring short campaigns. What holds them back?

Complexity of the gaming environment: insufficient understanding of the internal logic of game development.
Lack of expertise: inability to work with game analytics and make accurate forecasts.

Proven Formats of Collaborations: How Brands Enter Games

Despite the variety of options, three main "working" approaches can already be identified.

Strategic presence: the brand becomes part of the daily lives of players on a continuous basis, like Nikeland in Roblox.
Native integration: seamlessly fitting into the game world through items or missions—a bright example being "Pyaterochka" in the game "Rusy vs. Lizards 2."
Cultural events: large-scale limited-time events in highly popular projects, similar to the Coca-Cola and World of Warcraft collaborations.

How Not to Miss: Criteria for Successful Integration

There are a few simple but critically important rules.

Be part of the gameplay. Success lies where the brand enhances the experience by becoming an engaging quest or unique item, rather than just an ad banner.
Speak the language of the universe. The product should operate according to its rules: for example, food becomes a booster, and a car a legendary vehicle.
Provide new emotions. The main indicator of success is that the player's in-game experience should become at least a little more interesting.

The Experience of BlackHub Games: The Collaboration Case of Tanks Blitz and Black Russia

In March 2025, two mobile games conducted a cross-integration. Partners from Lesta Games recorded concrete business outcomes:

peak DAU increased by 10%;
the cost of reacquiring one user (win-back) decreased by 30%;
sales of branded containers exceeded regular ones by 102%.

The success of this collaboration confirms an important shift: games have finally transformed from an experimental platform into a full-fledged channel with measurable returns. For brands, the relevant question is no longer "should we enter games?" but instead "how to build an integration strategy to achieve maximum impact?"