The Game of Thrones Franchise Is Moving in the Wrong Direction

Our collective weariness towards ever-expanding franchise universes feels potent. There is an excess of worlds to immerse ourselves in, but a dearth of meaningful connection to other humans. Popular franchises might boast massive fandoms, but there is a stark impersonality to their widespread consumption and discussion.

The next big movie franchise/theme park/toy line will likely come from games. Players are spending thousands of hours interacting with game characters. Many developers are moving away from a publisher-led financing model to a VC model that enables them to maintain ownership over their IP.

The gaming industry reaches a point at which even adjacent markets suffer from this growth. Indeed, Netflix thinks ‘Fortnite” is a bigger threat than a direct competitor like HBO. The video games industry is silently taking over the entertainment world.

Game of Thrones creator George R. R. Martin once grouped worldbuilders into two types: architects and gardeners. These days, there seem to be fewer gardeners (Martin considers himself one), creators who allow a world to organically bloom. Most franchise worlds are architected to market-researched perfection. These efforts are not exclusive to the e... See more

Franchise worldbuilding is a means without a conclusive end. Contrary to its literary roots, wherein narrative details are fleshed out to push a story forward, most attempts today are predicated upon commodification. The goal is to pander and please audiences. It’s the creative equivalent of a dangling carrot on a stick in front of a donkey — and i... See more

Games have evolved beyond Hollywood-style releases to become live services that can thrive for years. These “games-as-a-service” are continually reshaped by user feedback, dramatically extending player lifetimes.