Does the phrase "platform-agnostic IP" mean anything to you? Well, what it is is when a fictional concept -- a universe, a story, and the characters within it -- are conceived not for any one particular medium, but for several of them. In other words, it's an idea that can work simultaneously as a video game, a movie or television show, and a set of books or comic books, for example. You get it.
The idea's loosely called transmedia, and it's what the Syfy channel is hoping to do by working with video game companies: Trion, with an upcoming MMO, and THQ. As for the latter, Syfy wants to start by creating more traditional extensions (film and television series) of de Blob and Red Faction, and then they hope to co-create projects together.
It's interesting stuff. On one hand, it's traditional media finally seeing the value in persistence and interactivity in creating additional engagement for users. It has unbelievable potential to make gaming more mainstream, and to help it become a core component of the way people conceive of and experience entertainment. It's also not without its challenges -- generally, TV people don't know a lot about games, and vice versa.
So to build a property that can bridge two media worlds that historically have had only the most cursory relationship with one another is no small feat, but I interviewed the president of Syfy and he explained to me that that's exactly what they're hoping to do:
"What's fantastic about this strategy is, if we get it right, we'll figure out ways for people to consume those characters and stories across multiple platforms whenever and however they choose to," says Howe. "It's an always-on world we're living in, and that's exciting to us. Dynamic, immersive experience is critical to future storytelling."
Check out the interview!
"What's fantastic about this strategy is, if we get it right, we'll figure out ways for people to consume those characters and stories across multiple platforms whenever and however they choose to," says Howe. "It's an always-on world we're living in, and that's exciting to us. Dynamic, immersive experience is critical to future storytelling."
Check out the interview!
[By the way, I think I'm going to start linking to my fave music blogs to share current tracks I like on a regular basis. Nothing to do with video games, I know, but it's nice to share my interests in more than one medium, ya dig? And I'll make it tiny so you can ignore it if you don't care. Here's The Love Language's 'Heart to Tell', via Pasta Primavera.]
