Transmedia techniques: “Over-leveraging earlier than you will have a neighborhood is how studios die”

• Toma Komitski will speak about transmedia at PGC Barcelona 2026.
• Forward of his communicate, we talk concerning the best methods for smaller studios in comparison to well-known IPs.

Transmedia has entered a brand new generation in recent times, with film diversifications of video video games now not inevitably lambasted as deficient translations enjoyable no person, however somewhat celebrated as titles resonating with long-time followers and interesting to freshmen.

Motion pictures like The Tremendous Mario Galaxy Film, the Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy and Detective Pikachu have delivered narratives that non-fans can observe whilst additionally interesting to veterans – with consideration to element, recognize for the supply subject matter and quite a few Easter Eggs.

Past film diversifications, transmedia has taken bureaucracy like TV displays, anime and internet collection. Be it Indignant Birds or Conflict of Clans, even cell IPs are evolving into multi-medium manufacturers.

Forward of his communicate at PGC Barcelona (June fifteenth and sixteenth), we talk with Chase A Cloud’s head of gross sales and industry building Toma Komitski about transmedia techniques, classes to be discovered from hits like The Tremendous Mario Galaxy Film and the significance of “narrative ecosystems”.

“It’s a must to suppose transmedia on day one, however spend transmedia on day 100,” he advises.

“If you do not bake the ‘transmedia DNA’ into your worldbuilding from the beginning – which means your lore is versatile sufficient to bridge into movie or toys – you’ll in finding your self retrofitting a tale that does not have compatibility, which is extremely dear and normally feels pressured.”

On the similar time, Komitski believes that builders shouldn’t center of attention on too many initiatives directly: a lead product must be the anchor.

“Plan globally, execute in the community. Design the universe to be countless, however look ahead to the marketplace alerts out of your recreation earlier than you pull the cause at the collection or the board recreation. Ambition is superb. Over-leveraging earlier than you will have a neighborhood is how studios die.”

Gear of the transmedia business

Chase A Cloud operates as a hybrid studio that’s “part authentic IP lab, part strategic manufacturing spouse”. The corporate is primarily based in Sofia, Bulgaria and specialises in animation, manufacturing control, pre-production and building.

Over virtually twenty years, Chase A Cloud has produced animations and live-action tales for LEGO, Mattel, Nationwide Geographic, e book collection Khalo the Zmeyborn and extra.

“At the IP aspect, we’re the guinea pigs. With Khalo the Zmeyborn, we’ve already moved from books and board video games into a world cell recreation release this summer time and a function movie in manufacturing. We are not simply theorising about transmedia – we’re residing the ‘struggle scars’ of scaling an indie IP right into a multi-product universe,” says Komitski.

“The second one column is how we practice the ones classes to our companions. We do not simply supply animation services and products. We provide transmedia structure. Whether or not it is for LEGO or a mid-sized recreation studio, we lend a hand them construct the connective tissue – the cinematics, the lore-marketing and the cross-media methods – that turns their product right into a long-term storyverse.”

He encourages builders to paintings with companions who perceive the “languages” of a couple of media codecs. If a recreation is to be tailored into a sequence, builders can’t be expecting to be successful by means of merely viewing episodes as long-form cinematics. In a similar way, a TV display or movie taking a look to amplify into video games shouldn’t method the medium as though video games have been “interactive films”.

“They’re basically other cultures. Don’t simply rent ‘arms’ to execute,” suggests Komitski. “You want a group – inside or exterior – that values the authorship of internationally the technicalities in their explicit silo.”

Komitski additionally advises {that a} recreation IP taking a look to amplify into transmedia will have to first categorise each product in its ecosystem as both a motive force of income or as a “sign generator”. If a studio launches a comic book e book collection tied to its recreation, for instance, the ones comics don’t essentially wish to make a benefit and even smash even on their very own.

He warns that looking to make the whole lot successful abruptly is usually a pitfall. What is essential is that transmedia efforts have a measurable affect somewhere else.

“Measure it by means of the compound impact it has in your recreation’s UA prices,” he says. “If you do not align your finances with the intent of the media, you’ll move broke earlier than the ecosystem matures.”

We ask if his recommendation is identical for a cell recreation IP in particular. Komitski solutions that the tactic for cell differs considerably as a result of many cell titles already achieve numerous customers. Komitski believes that, as cell video games might development in opposition to “skinny emotional resonance”, the problem as a substitute turns into setting up intensity.

In essence, when a cell recreation is going transmedia the purpose isn’t simply to succeed in extra customers: the sport can do this already. Somewhat, such tasks will have to be about giving avid gamers a explanation why to care concerning the characters even once they shut the sport.

“The possibly greatest mistake cell devs may just make is considering their transmedia must appear to be their recreation,” Komitski advises.

“It should not. In case your cell recreation is a ‘snack’, your transmedia growth must be the ‘meal’ that builds long-term loyalty and lowers your long term UA prices. You are not promoting a recreation anymore.”

Absolute best and brightest

At the higher finish of well-known, a success transmedia tasks are hits like A Minecraft Film, The Tremendous Mario Bros. Film and its fresh sequel, The Tremendous Mario Galaxy Film.

The Tremendous Mario Bros. Film is essentially the most profitable recreation adaptation ever on a field place of job foundation, having generated virtually $1.4 billion in cinemas again in 2023.

In 2025, A Minecraft Film made an estimated $960.4m, consistent with Field Administrative center Mojo. It has simply been surpassed by means of The Tremendous Mario Galaxy Film’s $983.7m and counting. In consequence, the Mario franchise now holds the highest two spots for online game diversifications.

Komitski calls The Tremendous Mario Galaxy Film a “masterclass in IP preservation as opposed to IP growth”, noting how Nintendo leveraged Wii recreation Tremendous Mario Galaxy’s space-themed gameplay and “became it into a visible spectacle that justifies the theatre price tag”.

“They keep in mind that for a transmedia leap to paintings, the brand new medium should be offering one thing the unique medium could not: on this case, scale and cinematic emotion,” he says.

Naturally, now not each transmedia adaptation can be expecting to flow across the $1bn mark. A smaller IP additionally shouldn’t in an instant goal a theatrical unlock.

Komitski means that underneath transmedia’s buzzword enchantment and “advertising gloss”, the truth is regularly “a multitude of misaligned KPIs and disconnected groups”. First, he needs studios to forestall considering in the case of siloed merchandise and to begin considering in the case of a scalable narrative ecosystem.

And, somewhat than field place of job blockbusters, he thinks maximum recreation IPs will have to center of attention on high-resonance, low-friction platforms like a comic book collection, a internet collection or short-form animations on the web.

Those will also be handled as reside marketplace experiments, Komitski says, permitting builders room to “fail rapid, refine your tone of voice and construct a neighborhood with no $100m ticket”.

To conclude, Komitski argues studios will have to be occupied with transmedia alternatives, however at a suitable scale. If an IP can’t draw in 50,000 other folks to a top quality internet brief, it received’t be successful cinema price tag gross sales both.

“In transmedia, you earn the suitable to the large display by means of successful the small monitors first,” he summarises.

“Chasing a film deal too early is the quickest manner for a small IP to lose inventive keep an eye on and move broke. Giant franchises like Sonic or Minecraft use the field place of job as a emblem victory lap. They have already got tens of millions of followers and many years of knowledge.

“A theatrical unlock is a vacation spot, now not a kick off point.”

Komitski will give a chat on additional transmedia techniques at PGC Barcelona 2026, happening on June fifteenth and sixteenth. Tickets are to be had now.