A multimedia franchise (or a transmedia franchise) is a media franchise for which installments exist in multiple forms of media, such as books, comics, films, television series, animated series and video games. Multimedia franchises usually develop due to the popularization of an original creative work, and then its expansion to other media through licensing agreements, with respect to intellectual property in the franchise's characters and settings,See, e.g., Barry Langford, Post-classical Hollywood: Film Industry, Style and Ideology Since 1945, p. 207, : "For the studios, a home-run is a film from which a multimedia 'franchise' can be generated; the colossally expensive creation of cross-media conglomerates predicated on synergistic rewards provides an obvious imperative to develop such products". although the trend later developed wherein franchises would be launched in multiple forms of media simultaneously.Harry J. Brown, Videogames and Education (2008), p. 41, :
In order to qualify for these lists, a franchise must have works in at least three forms of media, and must have two or more separate works in at least two of those forms of media (a television series or comic book series is considered a single work for purposes of this list; multiple spin-off series or reboots of a previously ended series are considered multiple works). For example, a television series that spawned one film and one novelization would not qualify; a television series that had a spin-off series, or was remade as a new series, and which spawned two films and one novelization does qualify. These lists do not include public domain works from which adaptations have been made in multiple media only after the works entered the public domain, which do not involve licensing or other means by which an author or owner controls the franchise. A franchise may be included if it obtained multimedia franchise status prior to works within the collection entering the public domain. Following are lists of multimedia franchises, divided by media characteristics.
Print publications
Literary works
A Song of Ice and Fire Arthur American Psycho Babar Berenstain Bears Blade Runner Captain Underpants The Cat in the Hat The Chronicles of Narnia Clifford the Big Red Dog Caillou The Chinese Siamese Cat Conan the Barbarian Curious George Die Hard Discworld Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dune Ender's Game Fast & Furious Gidget Goosebumps Greyfriars School The Godfather Hannibal Lecter Harry Potter Haruhi Suzumiya Hercule Poirot Herbie His Dark Materials Harold and the Purple Crayon How to Train Your Dragon The Hunger Games James Bond Jason Bourne Jennings Jumanji Jurassic Park Left Behind Legend of the Galactic Heroes Mary Poppins Megami Tensei Miss Marple Monogatari Moomins Mr. Men One Hundred and One Dalmatians Paddington Bear Parasite Eve Perry Mason Peter Rabbit Planet of the Apes Professor Branestawm Psycho The Railway Series/Thomas & Friends Rambo Robert Langdon Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Sex and the City Shrek Starship Troopers Sword Art Online Middle-earth Tales of Arcadia Tom Clancy media Top Gun The Vampire Chronicles Wicked Winnie-the-Pooh The Witcher
Comics
300 The Addams Family Alien vs. Predator Archie Comics Ashita no Joe Asterix Attack on Titan The Bad Guys Bleach Buck Rogers DC Universe Dennis the Menace (US) Death Note Detective Conan Doraemon Dragon Ball Dyesebel Fullmetal Alchemist Garfield Gaston Ghost in the Shell Hellboy Initial D Josie and the Pussycats Judge Dredd Kick-Ass Lucky Luke Lupin the Third Marsupilami The Mask Marvel Universe Men in Black Miffy My Hero Academia Naruto/Boruto One Piece Patlabor Peanuts Popeye Ranma ½ Sabrina the Teenage Witch Sailor Moon Sam & Max Saint Seiya Sgt. Frog The Smurfs Spawn Spirou & Fantasio Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tintin Turok The Walking Dead Wangan Midnight Yu-Gi-Oh!
Television and web series
Animated
The Amazing World of Gumball Avatar: The Last Airbender American Dad! Adventure Time Alma's Way Beavis and Butt-Head Ben 10 Blue's Clues Bluey Bob the Builder Dexter's Laboratory Dora the Explorer Dragon Tales Ed, Edd n Eddy The Flintstones Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends Futurama George of the Jungle Gumby Gundam The Loud House Miraculous Ladybug Neon Genesis Evangelion Paw Patrol The Powerpuff Girls Pretty Cure Rick and Morty Rocky and Bullwinkle Regular Show Rugrats RWBY Scooby-Doo The Simpsons South Park Space Battleship Yamato Space Ghost SpongeBob SquarePants Steven Universe VeggieTales Voltron Winx Club Yogi Bear
Live action
Ali G The AvengersNot related to the Marvel franchise. Babylon 5 Barney Battlestar Galactica The Bill Black Mirror Blake's 7 The Brady Bunch Between The Lions Gilligan's Island Charlie's Angels Dad's Army Doctor Who The Equalizer Fraggle Rock Kamen Rider Last of the Summer Wine Mission: Impossible Monty Python Mr. Bean The Muppets Metal Hero Series Only Fools and Horses Power Rangers/Super Sentai Project R.E.D. The Prisoner Quatermass Red Dwarf Sesame Street Star Trek Stranger Things The Sweeney The Twilight Zone Ultra Series The X-Files
Films
Animated films
An American Tail Cars Casper the Friendly Ghost Despicable Me Felix the Cat Finding Nemo Ice Age The Incredibles Inside Out Kung Fu Panda The Land Before Time Lilo & Stitch The Lion King Looney Tunes Madagascar Megamind Mickey Mouse and Friends Monsters, Inc. The Secret Life of Pets Tom and Jerry Toy Story Wallace & Gromit Woody Woodpecker
Live-action films
Alien Back to the Future Beetlejuice Bill & Ted Buffyverse The Chronicles of Riddick / Pitch Black Clash of the Titans Evil Dead The Expendables Final Destination Flipper Ghostbusters Godzilla Gremlins Halloween High School Musical Highlander Indiana Jones The Karate Kid King Kong Marvel Cinematic Universe The Matrix MonsterVerse The Pink Panther Police Academy Predator RoboCop Rocky Saw Stargate Star Wars Terminator Tron Universal Monsters Westworld
Games, toys, and merchandise
Video games, including film or television works
Ace Attorney Alone in the Dark Animal Crossing Angry Birds Assassin's Creed Aikatsu! Bayonetta Bomberman Borderlands Carmen Sandiego Call of Duty Castlevania Chrono Crash Bandicoot Dante's Inferno Danganronpa Darkstalkers Dead or Alive Dead Rising Devil May Cry Donkey Kong Doom Dota Dragon Age Dragon's Lair Dragon Quest Drakengard Fallout Far Cry Fatal Frame Fatal Fury Final Fantasy Five Nights at Freddy's Fire Emblem God of War Grand Theft Auto Half-Life Hitman Kemono Friends Kingdom Hearts The King of Fighters Kirby League of Legends The Legend of Zelda Mario Mass Effect Max Payne Mega Man Minecraft Monster Hunter Mortal Kombat Pac-Man Pretty Rhythm Pokémon Prince of Persia Plants vs. Zombies Ratchet & Clank Rayman Red Dead Resident Evil Silent Hill Sonic the Hedgehog Onimusha Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Star Ocean Street Fighter Tekken Talking Tom & Friends The Last of Us Tomb Raider Trails Uncharted Umamusume: Pretty Derby Xeno Warcraft Wing Commander Zone of the Enders Yo-kai Watch
Video games, excluding film or television works
Alan Wake Banjo-Kazooie Battlefield Bioshock Bloodborne Cooking Mama Contra Crysis Darksiders Dead Island Destiny Deus Ex Diablo Dishonored Duke Nukem The Elder Scrolls The Evil Within Fable Fortnite Gears of War Guild Wars Infamous Just Cause Killzone Left 4 Dead Legacy of Kain Life Is Strange Metal Gear Metroid Myst The Oregon Trail Portal Quake Soulcalibur Splatoon StarCraft Suikoden Star Fox Thief Watch Dogs Wolfenstein Zork
Other games
BattleTech Car Wars Cluedo Cyberpunk Dungeons & Dragons Glorantha Magic: The Gathering Mutant Chronicles Shadowrun Warhammer World of Darkness
Songs, albums, and theatre
Alvin and the Chipmunks The Amory Wars BanG Dream! Captain Sabertooth Frosty the Snowman Lone Ranger Madea
Toys, attractions, and other media
American Girl Barbie Bratz Care Bears Digimon G.I. Joe Hello Kitty Lego Labubu Masters of the Universe My Little Pony The Odd Couple Pirates of the Caribbean Strawberry Shortcake Transformers Trolls
See also Lists of fictional characters by work – many multimedia franchises are based in fictional universe
References