Transmedia storytelling is booming – just look at the explosion of interest in Five Nights at Freddy's native IP, or the success of video games based on movies, such as the latest Indiana Jones title. On 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 that are necessary, the economic models that are necessary to translate fandom into content creation through mods, on very exciting,” said Nicholas Tuosto, founder of GoodGame Advisors. “Especially the power of that IP translating to that connection and fandom, creating really 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 at this year's events. GamesBeat Insider Event: “Cracking Boundaries: The Convergence of Film, Music, TV and Games. “
Evans works with world-class developers and publishers to create games across WoC's diverse portfolio of IP: everything from Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: The Gathering to Monopoly, My Little Pony and Mr. Potato Head.
“We have taken it upon ourselves, as part of that strategy, to explore the world of UGC in general,” he explained. “We really believe that it is as much a part of clothing as possible for you to successfully – both commercially and in terms of enabling fandom – bring IP to the world and to the fans who want to be able to interact within those universes.”
Empowering fans and keeping IP alive
UGC is unique in its power to extend the lifespan and engagement of games compared to traditional content updates. The tools and creation pipeline available to users make it easier than ever to add content to the game in a safe and moderated way, Marchand says say, in stark contrast to the long and expensive pipeline of studio distribution.
“With UGC they create something that people want to consume. It expands and invites everyone to participate,” he explained. “They can create with these tools, reach high quality, high fidelity, brand consistency in a very short period of time.”
Playable media bridges cinematic storytelling and interactive gameplay in exciting new ways, Spell said.
“We took Michael Scott and the other characters and named them Roblox, putting them in the world of Roblox in a way that players will recognize and enjoy and obviously enjoy,” said e. “There are a few possibilities.”
Step one is hobbies, like The Office characters. Step two is bringing that into an existing game or existing integration. Making it playable and immersive takes it to the next level and provides a deeper way to connect with the audience.
“We're still early in how we're approaching this, but Roblox is excited, players are excited, and brands are excited about what's possible with something like playable media,” he said. “It's the endgame, where the actions of the players determine how the story goes.”
Protect the value of IP
When IP is similar Power Rangers are sent into the Arkit has to be done in a very high fashion that is authentic, and that completely follows brand guidelines. But it's a whole different ball game when you invite third-party creators to interact with your game and your IP. These creative events by modders and developers who want to build on IP raise the question of the value of IP, and how to protect it. UGC offers a lot of freedom for fans' imaginations, but there's always a line to draw, Evans said.
“As IP holders, we're always trying to ensure that there are, to some extent, guardrails and safeguards around what can be done with that IP. There are always limits,” he said. “You have to be willing to give up a certain level of control, but in the end the value is there.”
For example, modding in particular has allowed people to come back and revisit Baldur's Gate in ways that Larian could not have predicted – and yet these mods remain respectful and true to the game world based on D&D.
But there are also cases like the role playing server for Grand Theft Auto, where the content is very often, and sometimes maybe steps over the line, Tuosto says, but the game studio is not responsible but for the original IP and cannot necessarily. be responsible for user generated content.
“I think this goes back to the question of authenticity,” Evans said. “Certainly, if any corporation were to be seen trying some of these ideas that fans make on platforms like TikTok, it wouldn't be taken seriously. That's why the influencer community exists and works, because the fans say, 'Look at the I did with this content,' almost the opposite of physical.”
Platforms like TikTok and YouTube expand the concept of UGC, offering space for things like mashups and re-cut footage and a hundred other ways that fandom expresses love for a product.
“As long as it's done in that regard, we should accept it and try to relinquish control as much as we can,” he said.
Business model development
UGC is hardly a new concept – almost 20 years ago players were making completely new levels for Quake, with no economic incentive. Their main motivation was the community that formed around the game. But today, the dynamic has shifted: Many studios believe that if someone invests time and energy to create, and others willingly pay for that content, then the to compensate that work.
“The only north star we have for the company is what our creators earn,” Marchand said, pointing to an Ark creator who made about $50K selling mods. “This is one of the things we celebrate internally. This is exactly the future we envisioned. The more we provide these tools and monetization capabilities, we integrate brand experiences into these games, getting in front of the community in a very fun and authentic way, creators get paid. “
Overwolf paid $200 million to creators just last year, and the overall growth in the industry has been phenomenal. But while UGC almost always adds longevity to the tail end of what is otherwise a top product that may have been up and down, many UGC platforms still strives to create an efficient and predictable business model that allows content monitoring.
“We're continuing to experiment with what works on these platforms,” Evans said. “But it's still hard for a corporation to look at it and say, okay, can we predict this the way we can now with other platforms and other industries? We're not quite there yet.”