In the Warcraft universe we trust: an analysis of transmedia advertising strategies in the World of Warcraft video game series (“Battle Chest 3.0,”“Cataclysm,”and “Mists of Pandaria”)

Abstract

This study analyzes the transmedia strategies for the top-selling titles of the medieval-inspired video game saga World of Warcraft (WoW). We use a narrative analysis method that is applied to the phenomenon of video games whose narratives are built around historical and/or fictional—inspired by historical past—storylines. The outcomes and conclusions of this contribution describe a truly complex transmedia paradigm. Concepts such as transmedia storytelling, transmedia marketing, transmedia advertising, and transmedia branding or brand story, to name a few, help us to better understand a commercial, communicative, and experiential phenomenon whose success is based on the strategic management of the stories built around the brand WoW.