Coherent worlds

It is very common for game franchises to involve more types of media for their games to expand the worlds they have created. This has become even more popular over the last few years with franchises like Halo, Gears of War, Metal gear solid, Dead space, Resident evil, Final fantasy and other huge games over the last 10 years.

 This is an excellent way for game companies to expand their market to those who may not be able to enjoy the games, but experience some of the world that they have created and also letting the fans of the series enjoy new story plots and information that was not included in the game.
The Resident Evil franchise is a good example of this because since the original game in 1996 the game franchise is still ongoing today, but also currently in the making of its fifth live-action film, and produced a full CG film which just shows how popular Transmedia can be.Transmedia seems to be an incredibly important element in making games, movies, etc today.
This is also very important in terms of storytelling because now if a developer or producer thinks of a fantastic new coherent world they need to think how they can adapt that to a Transmedia basis.
This is described very effectively in this quote: “Stories and characters exist in a universe that lives and breathes regardless of whether it is being watched. What were characters doing before we started watching them? What will they do afterward? And what is going on in a different part of the same universe at the same time?” This is a perfect way of describing how Transmedia can affect a story plot to potentially maximise and expand on a coherent world, potentially creating a much bigger franchise and a more enjoyable experience for fans.

This was also seen in the Final Fantasy franchise with them producing more than 20 games, a Japanese animated series and also full CG films (final fantasy: spirits within, final fantasy Advent children). Most game franchises expand their world through comic books and novels because generally people who like computer games for the fantasy element enjoy to see these worlds created in comic books similar to the way they are depicted in Marvel and DC comics.

In a recent lecture Jeff Gomez, CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment, explained that an important part of creating a coherent world within games or movies or products is the opportunity for Transmedia within it. http://lukeavitch-creatingcoherentworlds.blogspot.co.uk/