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Trion SVP explains Defiance's 'transmedia synergy' secret sauce

Defiance concept art

If you're still wondering about this "transmedia synergy" thing that's supposedly going on between Defiance the MMO shooter and Defiance the television show, you might want to check out a new interview with Trion SVP Nick Beliaeff.

Events taking place in the two properties are "synchronized within an inch of their life," Beliaeff says. "That's the whole goal. That's some of the secret sauce that we think we have, just making sure that whenever an episode of the show is on air there's a big beat happening in the game. Our real goal is whether it's from game to show or show to game, that those big beats are happening whenever there's an episode on."

As you might imagine, this is incredibly difficult, and it's one reason that Trion and Syfy have been working on the IP for five years now. In terms of specific crossover, Beliaeff cites an example where a doctor in the TV show discovers a nanite contagion. She reaches out to one of her NPC colleagues in the game, who in turn provides players with a series of missions that they'll need to complete before the next episode of the show.