Preserving IP in Game Development
Intellectual property is the driving force behind every single move a brand makes. It shapes the identity. It propels the vision. It defines the products or services. It is the lifeblood of your brand.
Regardless of the medium (i.e., a website, game, app, etc.), your message should always be protected, your brand identity preserved. We’re not interested in making games that distract from the story you’re trying to tell or the idea that started it all. We want to make games that capture and represent every detail of your narrative.
To do this, we kick off each project by asking one question: “What is the story that we need to tell?”
Our goal is to authentically tell each client’s story through the details of the games we design and develop. This is a process that begins on day one. We make it our mission to live, eat and breathe every aspect of your IP so we can find smart, judicious ways to make your game feel bespoke while staying true to brand.
To promote History Channel’s original show Forged in Fire, we built Forged in Fire: Forgemaster. Like every other game we create, Forgemaster was built from scratch, the story carefully crafted. We wanted to represent a competition-based on timing, accuracy and craftsmanship. Every element of the game—the art, mechanics, audio, etc.— was informed by the substance of what competitors experience on the show, and then translated to a digital experience.
By the same token, when we created Dr. Pol Vet Rescue for National Geographic’s The Incredible Dr. Pol, we strategically created a game that focused on the shows main character and crafted a narrative around his animal adventures. This approach allowed us to progressively introduce new game mechanics at each level through storytelling that paralleled the challenges encountered throughout the life of the series.
When it comes to creating games, start with story. Avoid the temptation to shoehorn your IP into an off-the-shelf game engine (especially at the cost of representing your brand the best way possible). Your game is not just content. It’s an experience. It’s a landscape, a cast of characters, and ultimately, an investment you want players to engage with and share. It requires discovery and attention to detail. It should be memorable and completely your own.
Preserving your IP requires staying true to the story you want to tell—and to surround yourself with a team who can help you tell it. The result? A better end product and a stronger brand identity.