Transmedia and Crossmedia Storyworlds

Transmedia and crossmedia is the art of creating and launching immersive and interactive or participatory multi-platform storyworlds centered around a film or novel, which is the primary platform, that is then accompanied by live events, gaming, social media campaigns and interaction, mobile apps and/or online fiction such as blogs, video clips and chats.

The primary platform can also be a live event such as a theatre play, conference, concert or another media product such as a music album, a videogame or a tv-series.

Crossmedia storyworlds are often interactive, that is, the audience can choose how to experience the world and the various products, to a variable extent, and thus become users or players in the storyworld rather than just passive spectators or readers. They are generally closed storyworlds in the sense of being entierly created by the storyworld’s authors.

Transmedia storyworlds are often both interactive and participatory, that is, the audience can both chose how to experience the world as well as participate in co-creating it. They are generally open storyworlds in the sense of developing in parts or in whole together with the audience, who thus become users and players as well as actors and co-creators in the storyworld. Many transmedia storyworlds encourage and integrate user-generated content into the frame of the storyworld itself.

Transmedia and crossmedia storyworld can include cool gaming experiences that we design for you, such as:

Alternate Reality Games

Interactive transmedia narratives that lead the player on a an intellectual treasurehunt over the web and real life locations to unravel the story, which presents itself not as fiction but as reality. The story is presented in multiple media fragments mainly on social networks and on websites, both pre-existing ones and in-game websites created specifically for the game, but phonecalls, emails and live events are also used to create an illusion of reality. The story unfolds in real time, in response to the players’ direct interaction, and may be affected by players’ ideas and actions.  The gameplay often takes the form of a cluebased, codecracking, mystery- and problemsolving quest that blends fiction and reality. The gameplay tend to be collective and collaborative and can be designed to create and spread awareness and engagement on particular issues or to solve real world problems.

Role Playing Games

Highly participatory play where players act the roles of the characters and decide their actions and the course of the story. The players act out their characters through live action or in a discussion or process of structural decision-making and character development. The games take place in a real life situation or on the web and the consequenses of the players’ actions are decided according to a given set of rules or guidelines. The gameplay focus on social interaction and collaboration, and open up for creativity and new perspectives. In KORE, we design offline, live role playing games, with a special eye for games for children and adolescents.

Location-based Games

Games that evolve via the player’s location, often using hide-and-seek- or treasurehunt-mechanisms. The games are designed for a specific location or for being played anywhere. Localization technology is an important tool for the games, that can enchance the understanding of and engagement with a place. The gameplay is inspired by theories from landscape architecture and urban planning, and play can help illustrate and inspire sustainable development, integration, local development, or contribute to strengthening social relationships in the affected area. In KORE, we design offline, live locationbased games, with a special eye for games for children and adolescent.

Check out our film- and transmedia project Valkyria!