Random House kicks off 'transmedia IP' movement

The new branch of the publisher will handle all "transmedia intellectual property"

Book publisher Random House announced a new deal today that will change the way we think about video game adaptations. Stardock's original PC strategy game, Elemental: War of Magic, leads off with a book called Elemental: Destiny's Embers this summer.

The new branch of the publisher will handle all "transmedia intellectual property (IP) -- story content that can be accessed through multiple media sources including video games, social networks on the web, mobile platforms, in print and on film."

So rather than just taking the story of Elemental: War of Magic and massaging it into a novel, editors from Random House like Keith Clayton (editor, Stars Wars Expanded Universe properties) work with game writers to create books that exists within the same IP as a video game. In other words, the publisher will license the universe and let authors, game developers, or even comic book writers express the IP in different formats.

Or at least that's how Stardock CEO and Elemental developer Brad Wardell puts it. Speaking to GamePro this afternoon, he said that the new move by Random House not only creates a healthy environment for better writing in games, but it also let him fulfill a lifelong dream of being a published author.

"I always said I wish I could write books, but I've never had the economic justification to do so," Wardell said. "I have a whole new respect for writers after going through this."

Per an agreement with Random House, Wardell had to submit sample chapters to earn the right to write a novel set in his own universe. After approving his submission, the newly-formed transmedia IP branch worked directly with him to edit the manuscript and cross-check it against the video game's writing so that both properties were consistent in style, tone, and quality.

"In fantasy games, how many times does the fantasy just not make sense?" Wardell said. "[Developers] put a monster in there sometimes just because it looks cool. That's been one of the real impacts [the Elemental book process] has had on [the game]. The magic system makes sense -- the whole thing is self-consistent."

The novel, Elemental: Destiny's Embers, hits shelves this August. The game, Elemental: War of Magic, comes out in September.

Join the Good Gear Guide newsletter!

Error: Please check your email address.

Tags games

Struggling for Christmas presents this year? Check out our Christmas Gift Guide for some top tech suggestions and more.

Keep up with the latest tech news, reviews and previews by subscribing to the Good Gear Guide newsletter.

AJ Glasser

GamePro

Most Popular Reviews

Follow Us

Best Deals on GoodGearGuide

Shopping.com

Latest News Articles

Resources

GGG Evaluation Team

Kathy Cassidy

STYLISTIC Q702

First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.

Anthony Grifoni

STYLISTIC Q572

For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.

Steph Mundell

LIFEBOOK UH574

The Fujitsu LifeBook UH574 allowed for great mobility without being obnoxiously heavy or clunky. Its twelve hours of battery life did not disappoint.

Andrew Mitsi

STYLISTIC Q702

The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.

Simon Harriott

STYLISTIC Q702

My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.

Latest Jobs

Shopping.com

Don’t have an account? Sign up here

Don't have an account? Sign up now

Forgot password?
http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/article/337973/random_house_kicks_off_transmedia_ip_movement/
www.goodgearguide.com.au
crawl=CC-MAIN-2014-52
50911
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:JNQDJMKVPFYJQGVFU5YV73MKOEA66TIS
<urn:uuid:53d32472-22f0-47c5-979b-95ff33bef840>
2014-12-25T07:57:12Z
54.252.106.65
sha1:OBGIM45BEH6F3PHNJRU4VSKMJUPUQUQI
<urn:uuid:dcd44056-3287-4cef-934c-485b202cafb7>
http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/article/337973/random_house_kicks_off_transmedia_ip_movement/
length
response
<urn:uuid:cba38c37-254b-407c-bff4-1d4d6f9e126c>
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-231-17-201.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)/CC WarcExport 1.0
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2014-52
operator: CommonCrawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web with URLs provided by Blekko for December 2014
publisher: CommonCrawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf