Transmedia storytelling is evolving — just look at how the popularity of the Five Nights at Freddy’s game-native IP has exploded, or the success of video games based on movies, such as the latest one. Indiana Jones title. At the other end of the ecosystem, the world of user-generated content (UGC) is growing, with audiences in the hundreds of millions consuming content created by players themselves, or by modders.

“Seeing these worlds intersect and starting to think about the tools needed, the economic models needed to facilitate the translation of fandom into content creation through mods, is really exciting, ” said Nicholas Tuosto, founder of GoodGame Advisors. “Especially the power of these IPs that translates into that engagement and fandom, really creates new experiences.”

He spoke with Uri Marchand, CEO and co-founder, Overwolf, Nate Spell, founder and CEO, Barrier Four and Eugene Evans, SVP, digital strategy and licensing at Wizards of the Coast, about their IP and UGC strategies today. year. GamesBeat Insider event: “Blurring boundaries: The convergence of Film, Music, TV, and Games.”

Evans works with world-class developers and publishers to create games across WoC’s diverse IP portfolio: everything from Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: The Gathering to Monopoly, My Little Pony and Mr. Potato head.

“We adopted, as part of that strategy, exploring the world of UGC very broadly,” he explained. “We really believe it’s part of how you successfully — commercially and in terms of enabling fandom — bring IP to the world and to the fans who want to interact with these universes.”

Empowering fans and keeping the IP alive

UGC is unique in its power to extend the life and engagement of games compared to traditional content updates. The tools and development pipeline available to users make it easier than ever to deploy game content in a way that’s safe and modest, Marchand said, which is in stark contrast to the long and expensive pipeline of a studio release. .

“With UGC they create something that people want to consume. It expands and invites everyone to participate,” he explained. “They can create with tools, reach high quality, high fidelity , brand consistency in the short term.”

Playable media bridges cinematic storytelling and interactive gameplay in exciting new ways, Spell said.

“We took Michael Scott and the other characters and Robloxed them, put them inside the Roblox world in a way that players can recognize and hear and obviously enjoy,” he said. “There are some opportunities.”

The first step is entertainment, such as The Office characters. The second step is to drop that into an existing game or an existing integration. Making it truly playable and immersive takes it to the next level and offers a deeper way to connect with the audience.

“We’re still early in how we approach this, but Roblox is excited, players are excited, and brands are excited about what’s possible with something like playable media,” he added. “The end game is, we’re going to get it to a point where the actions the players take determine how the story goes.”

Protecting the value of IP

If the IP likes The Power Rangers entered the Arkit must be done in a very high-quality way that is authentic, and fully complies with the brand’s standards. But it’s a different ball game when you invite third-party creators to interact with your game and your IP. These creative interactions of modders and developers who want to build an IP raise the issue of IP value, and how to protect it. UGC offers a great amount of freedom to the fan’s imagination, but always has to draw a line, Evans said.

“As IP owners, we always try to make sure that there are, at some level, guardrails and protections around what that IP can do. There are always limits,” he said. You have to be willing to give up a certain level of control, but ultimately the value is there.”

For example, modding specifically allows people to go back and revisit Baldur’s Gate in ways Larian couldn’t have predicted – but these mods stay respectful and true to the game’s D&D-based world.

But there are also cases like the role-playing server for Grand Theft Auto, where the content is often edgy, and sometimes maybe steps on the line, Tuosto said, but the game studio is only responsible for the original IP and not necessary. is responsible for user-generated content.

“I think it comes back to the question of reliability,” Evans said. “In fact, if any corporation appears to try to implement some of these ideas created by fans on platforms like TikTok, it will not be taken seriously. That’s why the influencer community exists and works, because it the fans saying, ‘Look what I did with this content,’ almost in front of the corporate management.

Platforms like TikTok and YouTube have expanded the concept of UGC, offering room for things like mashups and re-cut footage and a hundred ways a fandom can express love for a product.

“As long as it ends in that part, we have to accept it and try to relinquish control as much as possible,” he added.

The evolution of a business model

UGC is not a new concept – almost 20 years ago players created completely new levels for Quake, with no economic incentive. Their core motivation is the community that forms around the game. But now, the dynamic has changed: Many studios believe that if someone invests time and energy in production, and others are willing to pay for that content, that work should be paid for.

“The only north star we have for the company is how much our creators make,” Marchand said, pointing to one Ark creator who makes about $50K selling mods. “It’s one of the things that we’re celebrating internally. It’s really the future that we’re looking at. The more we provide these tools and monetization capabilities, integrate brand experiences into these games, get in front of the community in a fun and authentic way, creators get paid.

Overwolf paid creators $200 million last year, and the growth in the industry as a whole has been incredible. But while UGC almost always adds longevity to what is otherwise a premium product that can spike and fall, many UGC platforms struggle to create an effective and predictable model. of business that allows for content monetization.

“We’re continuing to experiment to try to understand what works across platforms,” ​​Evans said. “But it’s still hard for a corporation to look at this and say, okay, can we predict this the way we can now with other platforms and other businesses? We’re not there yet.”