Delphi Interactive's fan-first strategy draws major IP interest following success of James Bond and FIFA

Delphi Interactive’s bet on “fan-first” licensed games is starting to pay off. CEO Casper Daugaard says the company has had multiple conversations with some of the world’s biggest brands, all interested in the way Delphi approaches IP: start with the audience that loves the brand, then build the game around that broader fan expectation rather than a narrow gamer segment.

That philosophy shaped 007 First Light, where Delphi secured the license and teamed with IO Interactive. Daugaard said the pitch to the Bond rights holders was explicit: the goal was not to make a Bond game for gamers, but for Bond fans, with driving, social stealth, flirting, MI6 work, and the rest of the fantasy folded into one interactive experience.

The same thinking carried over to FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition, published by Delphi and developed by Refactor Games. Delphi positioned it as a more accessible, casual entry aimed at the global football audience, not just players who followed the old EA Sports FIFA line. The timing matters too: it arrived two weeks before FIFA Heroes, making Delphi’s release part of the post-EA split landscape.

For developers, the practical takeaway is that IP strategy is still a major business lever. Delphi’s pitch is essentially that some brands are under-served by traditional publisher priorities, and that a partner willing to finance, develop, and publish around the brand’s full audience can unlock projects that otherwise wouldn’t get made.