Random House Publishing Group announced today that they are creating a new group responsible for creating “original transmedia intellectual property” led by Director of Creative Development Keith Clayton and Director of Business Development Mikita Labanok. The book publisher is looking to create content that can be used in social networks, mobile phones, in movies and yes, in video games.
"After more than eighty years, Random House is now taking our storytelling expertise one step further," said Gina Centrello, President and Publisher of The Random House Publishing Group. "We are providing a valuable service to other media companies in a competitive entertainment market, where success increasingly depends on the quality of your story."
The first such gaming partnership is with Stardock Corporation. The PC game publisher will work with Random House to create the story for the fantasy strategy game Elemental: War of Magic. Additionally, Random House Group will also publish the novel Elemental: Destiny's Ember, which takes place in the same world as the game and was written by Elemental: War of Magic creator and executive producer Brad Wardell.
"A good story doesn't necessarily have to begin and end with a game; it can and should encompass as many creative mediums as possible in order to provide fans with the most complete rendering of a fictional place or time," said Brad Wardell, CEO of Stardock and executive producer of Elemental. "With Elemental having an incredibly rich back story to tell, partnering with Random House allows us to create the most immersive universe possible for our fans."
