We’ve been talking about transmedia synergy again thanks to Dune Awakening, so I want to go at it from a new angle. The term “transmedia synergy,” of course, became a common term in the MMORPG genre following the introduction of then-Trion Worlds’ MMO Defiance, which was supposed to be directly tied in with the sci-fi TV show of the same name. Of course, the show was canceled fairly early on in its run, and the game never really blew up (and was since sunsetted by Gamigo). So now, we’re just left with the term.
And usually when we discuss it, we ask which IP you want to see have that kind of a live tie-in with MMOs. But today, I want to ask whether you want it at all because honestly… it makes me nervous. Oh, Funcom’s game being based so heavily on Villeneuve’s movies isn’t really a problem; the movies stand alone as masterpieces, and if the game flops, no one but us (and Tencent) will blink. But I’m not sure every IP can weather something like that.
Do you even want an MMO with transmedia synergy?