Transmedia storytelling is booming — simply have a look at how the recognition of 5 Nights at Freddy’s game-native IP exploded, or the success of video video games based mostly on motion pictures, like the latest Indiana Jones title. On the opposite finish of the ecosystem, the world of user-generated content material (UGC) is rising, with audiences within the tons of of hundreds of thousands consuming content material created by gamers themselves, or by modders.
“Seeing these worlds intersect and start to think about the tools that are necessary, the economic models necessary to facilitate fandom translating to content creation through mods, is really exciting,” says Nicholas Tuosto, founding father of GoodGame Advisors. “Especially the power of these IP translating to that engagement and fandom, really creating new experiences.”
He spoke with Uri Marchand, CEO and co-founder, Overwolf, Nate Spell, founder and CEO, Barrier 4 and Eugene Evans, SVP, digital technique and licensing at Wizards of the Coast, about their IP and UGC methods at this yr’s GamesBeat Insider occasion: “Blurring Boundaries: The Convergence of Film, Music, TV, and Games.”
Evans works with world-class builders and publishers to create video games throughout WoC’s various portfolio of IP: all the things from Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: The Gathering to Monopoly, My Little Pony and Mr. Potato Head.
“We have embraced, as part of that strategy, exploring the world of UGC very broadly,” he defined. “We really do believe that it’s part of the fabric of how you can successfully — both commercially and in terms of enabling fandom — bring IP to the world and to the fans that want to be able to interact within these universes.”
Empowering followers and protecting IP alive
UGC is exclusive in its energy to increase the lifespan and engagement of video games in comparison with conventional content material updates. The instruments and creation pipeline obtainable to customers make it simpler than ever to deploy content material into the sport in a manner that’s protected and moderated, Marchand says, in sharp distinction to the prolonged and costly pipeline of a studio launch.
“With UGC they create something that people want to consume. It expands and invites everyone to participate,” he defined. “They can create with those tools, reach high quality, high fidelity, brand consistency in a very short time frame.”
Playable media bridges cinematic storytelling and interactive gameplay in fascinating new methods, Spell stated.
“We took Michael Scott and the other characters and Robloxified them, put them within the world of Roblox in a way that players recognize and resonate with and obviously enjoy,” he stated. “There’s a few opportunities.”
The 1st step is recreations, like The Workplace characters. Step two is dropping that into an present sport or an present integration. Making it truly playable and immersive takes it to the subsequent stage and affords a deeper method to join with the viewers.
“We’re still early on 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 added. “The endgame is, we get it to a point where the actions the players take determine the way the story goes.”
Defending the worth of IP
When IP like Energy Rangers is inserted into Ark, it must be achieved in a really high-quality manner that’s genuine, and fully follows model pointers. Nevertheless it’s an entire totally different ballgame whenever you invite third-party creators to work together together with your sport and your IP. These artistic engagements by modders and builders wanting to construct on an IP raises the problem of IP worth, and easy methods to shield it. UGC affords an enormous quantity of freedom to fan creativeness, however there’s all the time the necessity to attract a line, Evans stated.
“As IP holders, we’re always trying to make sure that there are, to a certain degree, guardrails and protections around what can be done with that IP. There are always limits,” he stated. “You have to be willing to give up a certain degree of control, but ultimately the value is there.”
As an example, modding particularly has allowed folks to return again and revisit Baldur’s Gate in methods Larian couldn’t have predicted — and but these mods stay respectful and true to the D&D-based world of the sport.
However there are additionally instances just like the role-playing server for Grand Theft Auto, the place the content material is commonly edgy, and generally maybe steps over the road, Tuosto says, however the sport studio is accountable just for the unique IP and may’t essentially be held accountable for consumer generated content material.
“I think this goes back to the question of authenticity,” Evans stated. “Certainly, if any corporation were seen to try to execute some of these ideas that fans do on platforms like TikTok, it wouldn’t be taken seriously. That’s why the influencer community exists and works, because it’s fans saying, ‘Look at what I did with this content,’ almost in the face of the corporate oversight.”
Platforms like TikTok and YouTube prolong the idea of UGC, providing a spot for issues like mashups and re-cut footage and 100 different methods a fandom expresses a love of a product.
“As long as it’s done in that regard, we should embrace it and try to relinquish control as much as we can,” he added.
The evolution of a enterprise mannequin
UGC is hardly a brand new idea — virtually 20 years in the past gamers had been making solely new ranges for Quake, with no financial incentive. Their core motivation was the group that shaped across the sport. However right now, the dynamic has shifted: Many studios consider that if somebody invests time and power to create, and others are enthusiastically paying for that content material, that work ought to be compensated.
“The single north star we have for the company is how much our creators earn,” Marchand stated, pointing to an Ark creator who made about $50K promoting mods. “It’s one of the things we celebrate internally. This is exactly the future we envisioned. The more we provide these tools and monetization capabilities, integrate brand experiences into these games, get in front of the community in a very fun and authentic way, creators are going to get paid.”
Overwolf paid creators $200 million simply final yr, and the expansion total within the business has been extraordinary. However whereas UGC virtually all the time provides longevity to the tail of what’s in any other case a premium product which will have spiked and dropped off, many UGC platforms are nonetheless scuffling with creating an efficient and predictable enterprise mannequin that enables for the monetization of content material.
“We continue to experiment to try to understand what’s working on those platforms,” Evans stated. “But it’s still difficult for a corporation to look at it and say, okay, can we predict this in the way in which we currently can with other platforms and other businesses? We’re not quite there yet.”
