"You can’t world-build your way out of a broken core loop": The games industry weighs in on the transmedia boom
- “Transmedia projects are definitely both a revenue driver and a way to build exposure.” - Alisha Hasan.
- “For the majority of games, transmedia projects are predominantly a way to build exposure, not revenues.” - Harvey Elliott.
- “Transmedia projects drive revenue and exposure, but at their best, they build mythos - the connective tissue that turns an idea into a universe.” - Kelly Vero.
Transmedia projects in the games industry are no longer a rare occurrence. Over the last few years, we have seen a significant rise in games being adapted for TV and film. These projects are becoming a more prominent way for many to expand known IPs, engage with players and explore new revenue streams.
In fact, that's why we've just announced the Transmedia Summit for Pocket Gamer Connects London 2026, following its successful debut in Helsinki. PGC London will take place on January 19th to 20th next year.
In this article, our Mobile Mavens share their insights on how the transmedia trend drives exposure and what pitfalls studios need to watch out for along the way.
Alisha Hasan
Transmedia projects are definitely both a revenue-driver and a way to build exposure. Exposure and having a marketing strategy mean a long-term investment in the IP, which then continues to drive revenue and keeps options on the table. If a transmedia project were only thought of as a revenue driver, decisions would be made to gain the shortest possible income injections.
When it comes to balancing transmedia work with game development, this is a valid concern for studios, especially smaller ones. Adapting IP takes bandwidth, and ideally there should be collaborative but separate teams working on the game and the adapted format, whether that’s film or TV. The daily life of a game producer or narrative designer might definitely be affected - but is it a distraction or dialogue between the different formats? The outcome could be transmedia learning that it not only makes the current game better, but also helps with planning the next one.
My hope is that a games company working with, say, a film production company would use that unique opportunity to learn about the film ecosystem and methods of storytelling. Opening up one’s understanding is always good for innovation and creating something new. Perhaps the first time a studio embarks on this transmedia journey, it is a distraction - but the second time might just be called innovation.
“Perhaps the first time a studio embarks on this transmedia journey, it is a distraction - but the second time might just be called innovation.”Alisha Hasan
Hollywood, I think, got sick of remakes and biopics. After that wave, adapting to and from games became part of their strategy. Since transmedia itself is nothing new, the surge that started about 10 to 15 years ago is probably also due to technological advances that have brought film and gaming closer together.
By technological advances, I mean Unreal, but also social media platforms and the many ways communities can now be built exponentially compared to 20 years ago. Fans of IPs want to experience the story in multiple ways.
On an individual creative professional level, transmedia productions create an environment for innovation because production teams are even more mixed across different creative sectors. On a grassroots level, transmedia expedites innovation. Leadership positions, however, might experience more strain because there are now even more creative minds under one roof.
As SMEs make full use of transmedia, there will likely be an increase in financially stable companies within the creative industries.
On the flipside, some investors might start to focus entirely on adapted stories instead of original ones. Keeping IPs relevant so that the same storyworld can be used again and again is definitely challenging and requires a lot of strategy and IP brand maintenance.
I’m really looking forward to seeing some indie game companies work on indie film IPs. There’s so much potential in projects that don’t need to cost hundreds of millions of euros - and if it works out, the profit margin is all the sweeter.
Christian Lövstedt
It makes sense to take a transmedia approach and broaden out the IP when trying to reach a new audience. After all, it can be quite difficult to find success with a new IP, when there already exists so many series with established, loyal fanbases.
But quite a lot of developers and publishers take this process too far, to the point that it feels tedious and a detriment to the original IP. If the end result is poor, which is often the case, then it doesn’t really matter what the financial benefits end up being.
The non-gaming product might end up feeling less personal, which dilutes the value of the original IP. So, IP holders need to think really hard about the pros and cons of a transmedia project, beyond the surface level profit margin.
Harvey Elliott
For the majority of games, transmedia projects are predominantly a way to build exposure, not revenues. Whilst there are clearly opportunities for significant revenue drivers, these feel more likely to be achieved by triple-A IP that have built a huge audience established over many years.
These triple-A gaming IPs attract triple-A productions and collaborations, and these can genuinely become meaningful for the special few. For the others though, you need to look for other justifications on the time and investment spent.
Playstack has enjoyed a number of hit indie titles over the past two years, with a standout indie success in the solo dev created rogue-like deck-builder Balatro; incredible audience reach in the co-op crafter Abiotic Factor; and the critically acclaimed narrative adventures in The Case of the Golden Idol and The Rise of the Golden Idol.
All of these successes have led us to demand from new commercial markets, leading to a line of merchandise for each of the titles, and explorations that will take each of the IP beyond games to new experiences - be it live-action productions, toys or physical games.
“Even for a hit indie game we know that extending beyond the original experience is not going to drive significant revenue; but it does give us a valuable way to continue to engage players.”Harvey Elliott
Even for a hit indie game, we know that extending beyond the original experience is not going to drive significant revenue; but it does give us a valuable way to continue to engage players and to keep the conversation going around our titles.
Merchandise for games can be specified early in development and printed on demand; trading the margins ordinarily enjoyed by production at scale for a streamlined just-in-time production flow with limited inventory management.
For larger creations, e.g. plushies, toys and boardgames or even into TV and film production, developers and publishers will need to work with specialists in those given fields; relinquishing the responsibility of design, manufacture and distribution in exchange for a royalty share based on success, whilst maintaining creative sign-off and check-ins to maintain brand integrity.
Whilst servicing an existing player audience can feel like a good use of time, developers need to be mindful that the revenue contribution from merchandise could be as little as 1% to 2% of the overall revenue in a franchise - especially when working with third-parties who will rightly need their share. More importantly, dev time spent on creating merch or larger productions is dev time not spent on making the next update or iteration of the game, which makes up the other 98% of the revenue stream.
There is, however, one other benefit beyond that of any individual game. Extending a gaming IP into other markets adds an authenticity to the value of the industry as a whole.
Big studios are investing in major film productions based on games (Super Mario Bros., Minecraft); TV series are finding success, especially where they remain true to the original source material (e.g. Witcher, Fallout); and high-street retailers are carrying designs based on gaming IP (e.g. PlayStation, Xbox, Fortnite, Pokémon and many more) that is stocked confidently year-after-year knowing that it has a growing audience.
And for me, sitting back on my sofa and watching compelling new TV shows such as Fallout, knowing the inside of the fiction from years of playing the games and spotting easter-egg after easter-egg, adds an incredible validation for what games mean to me and millions upon millions of players around the world - and each show just what gaming IP can do.
Kelly Vero
Transmedia projects drive revenue and exposure, but at their best, they build mythos - the connective tissue that turns an idea into a universe. A good transmedia campaign is like seasoning: it enhances flavour but doesn’t replace the main course. Too many studios start chasing Netflix dreams before they’ve finished debugging their tutorial level. You can’t world-build your way out of a broken core loop.
The industry’s finally realised it doesn’t need to wait for Hollywood’s approval. Games are culture now. Add in streaming platforms, social media micro-fandoms, and AI-assisted production pipelines, and suddenly everyone’s building their own mini–Marvel Universe, but with better lore and worse scheduling.
These projects raise the cultural temperature. Done well, transmedia deepens emotional investment and keeps players orbiting the brand long after the end credits. Done badly, it’s narrative fast fashion: cheap, disposable, and guaranteed to unravel after one wash.
Some of my favourite examples include Alan Wake’s multimedia descent into madness, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (a redemption arc in anime form), and Control, which practically is a transmedia project disguised as a game.
Honourable mention to Pokémon, the most successful example of weaponised nostalgia ever devised. And of course, Transformers = the greatest IP ever made. I’m biased though.
Nicholas Walters
In many ways, this is the games industry catching up with its users. As gaming becomes more driven by user-generated content, young people in particular are setting the transmedia agenda.
Users had made literally dozens of Squid Game-inspired Roblox experiences before Netflix themselves finally launched an official one. Modern fandoms are community-centered, and games have become a vital way to both sustain and empower fan communities.
Jacki Vause
I've worked on many transmedia projects over the years - from Who Wants to Be A Millionaire to Harry Potter as original TV/Book IPs coming to games and then for Angry Birds where we worked on so many different iterations, from YouTube shorts through to feature films and theme parks.
For today's entertainment savvy consumer the lines are blurred and often invisible so the opportunities are there. But any successful transmedia project has to have quality, engaging content at its foundations.
“Transmedia lends itself really well to the larger IPs with big budgets and many spheres of influence but that doesn't mean that indie developers can't look to them for inspiration.”Jacki Vause
Great examples of transmedia elegantly open the door to other platforms with interconnected narratives - Marvel does this brilliantly with The Avengers across TV shows and feature films dropping easter eggs here and there.
Transmedia lends itself really well to the larger IPs with big budgets and many spheres of influence but that doesn't mean that indie developers can't look to them for inspiration. Rovio has done brilliantly with its YouTube channel, for example.
However, I have seen developers fall in love with their IPs before their games have even hit the stores and this can be dangerous. It is already difficult enough preventing feature creep within a game - if you are then planning all of your brand extensions at the same time it will frankly drive you insane. Always focus on the game and the rest will follow - especially if you have the right partners.
Take a leaf out of Playstack and LocalThunk's book. Balatro is an indie sensation and already the game's Jimbo character is taking on a life of his own. This hasn't come out of nowhere and certainly will not distract LocalThunk from the game and its ongoing development.
Via a brilliant partnership with its publisher Playstack, the IP is carefully managed with merchandise, collaborations and charity initiatives that are complementary and in line with the developer's values. This is, however, built from the solid foundation of sheer brilliance - in this case a great game that is loved by all.
Stein Janssen
Transmedia’s rise shows that IP has become the new currency of entertainment. Projects like the Subway Surfers animated series show how players can engage with gaming IP across multiple touchpoints. But more than expansion into films or merchandise, transmedia reminds us of the importance of meeting players where they are.
Whether through web gaming, console, or a TV series, these experiences should fit naturally into people’s lives. In such a competitive entertainment space, transmedia helps games build exposure and stay accessible and approachable to wider audiences. Accessibility isn’t just a benefit of transmedia, it’s what makes it work.
People