A message to the entertainment industry: nurture fandom or risk losing control of your IP

What makes a fan in 2024? Is it how much they spend? How often they watch, listen or play? Is it how much they broadcast their fandom across social apps? 

Of course, the answer is all the above – and more.

But while fandom is made up of many moving parts, it can be difficult to nurture it in an entertainment ecosystem shaped by streaming services and social platforms.

As MIDiA laid bare in its Bifurcation Theory report, the consumption behaviours fostered by music streaming apps are platform first and artist second.

Artists included on algorithmically generated playlists may clock up plays, but without listeners knowing the song, the artist, their latest album, or when they are touring.

While social platforms may be better positioned to grow fandom, the emphasis is often on song discovery. This leads to listeners becoming a fan of the song rather than artist.

Righting this disconnect between the industry and its fans is important for all parties.

A failure to do so will make it tougher for new artists and their backers to secure longevity by reaching and fostering fans that will sustain their success.

But even for well-established stars and franchises, the need to nurture fans is important because of what is at stake for their IP.

As YouTube underscored in its Culture & Trends Report the evolution of the fan from consumer to creator is significant because of the impact it is having on entertainment consumption.

The report found that 66% of Gen Z Americans agree that they often spend more time watching content that discusses or unpacks something that the thing itself.

Why does this matter?

Fans have always expressed their love of entertainment through creation, from making t-shirts and forming cover bands, to modding their favourite PC games.

When it comes to brand awareness, both fan-made and non-fan-made engagement help funnel consumers back to the original IP – or so has been the case in the past.

However, there are two reasons why this dynamic could change:

1. These creators are better placed at fostering a connection with the fanbase than the IP holder. They regularly serve content that not only entertains but enables social engagement. They know what fans want from the entertainment IP that they love
2. AI tools are making it easier for superfans to create content with production value that can rival what is produced by the IP holder

The risk is that superfans combine their fanbase knowledge and evolving creative skills to produce high-quality music, movies, shows, or games that become just as popular as the core IP.

Take Dino Crisis, Capcom’s revered survival horror game released in 1999 on the PlayStation 1.

Fans of this series have long been calling for a next generation reboot in line with remakes such as Silent Hill 2, Final Fantasy7 Remake, Demon’s Souls and The Last of Us Part 1. Capcom has even given its Resident Evil series, the blueprint for Dino Crisis, the remake treatment –  to critical and commercial acclaim.

But rather than wait for the developer to act, superfan Stefano Cagnani has stepped in and is recreating the whole game in Unreal Engine 4 through his Dino Crisis Rebirth project.

The game markedly improves on the original:  

• It can run in 8K, ultra HD at 60 frames per second
• It has also modernised the game, swapping the original game’s now-dated static camera angles with an over-the-shoulder viewpoint that has the hallmarks of Capcom’s remakes Resident Evil 2, 3 and 4.

What is more, Cagnani has been selling the game for $1 at a time when Capcom has just re-released the 1999 version on PS5 for $9.99.

In the case of remakes, the danger for game makers is that hobbyist creators may soon be able to produce high-quality reproductions on shorter cycles than traditional developers.

After all, technology like generative AI and no-code UGC platforms are democratising game development.

This could lead to the fan made version becoming the entry point for a new generation of fans rather than the original IP.

At this rate, the original IP holders risks losing some control of their franchises and fanbases.

While Cagnani’s Dino Crisis Rebirth is unlikely to reach such heights, his project provides a sign of things to come as AI tools enable creators to significantly increase their skill ceiling.

For entertainment IP holders, the answer lies in forging a closer relationship with the content-creating fans that does not try to directly compete but creates a copyright-safe environment that allows these creators to play.

Not only would this provide the entertainment industry with a more direct relationship with these superfans, but it could ensure that both IP holder and the creator community can contribute to extending longevity without either losing out.