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Case Study: Emergence
Story
14 May 2025
Why the Current Franchise Flywheel Is Broken
For decades, Hollywood has relied on IP franchises as the backbone of its economic engine. Universes like Star Wars and Harry Potter have generated billions through films, merchandise, and spin-offs. However, this reliance has led to franchise fatigue—repetitive storytelling, over-saturation, and diminishing audience engagement. The global pandemic further disrupted the industry, shrinking box office revenues and intensifying competition in the streaming wars.
Now, AI is accelerating these challenges. As AI tools democratize high-quality content production, Hollywood’s traditional barriers to entry are disappearing. Users worldwide, armed with text-to-video AI tools and other advancements, can rival studios with a fraction of the resources. Additionally, autonomous AI agents are beginning to contribute to story universes, but without clear attribution or ownership models, their impact remains untapped.
A Next-Gen Story Universe by David S. Goyer
Emergence is the first franchise launched by Incention, a platform designed to integrate AI and blockchain into modern storytelling. Created by legendary writer and producer David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight Trilogy, Blade, Foundation, Terminator), Emergence is an expansive sci-fi universe that redefines the relationship between audiences, IP owners, and AI tools.
More than just a story world, Emergence is a collaborative sandbox where fans, developers, and AI agents can expand storylines, create new characters, and participate in content creation. By making IP programmable through Story, the world’s first IP blockchain, Emergence ensures transparent licensing, verifiable authorship, and new revenue pathways for creators and contributors alike.
Goyer’s shift from expressing concerns about AI’s impact on creative industries during the 2023 writers' strike to actively developing an AI-driven platform demonstrates his commitment to harnessing technology for collaborative storytelling. He emphasizes the importance of finding beneficial and non-destructive uses for AI in content creation.
Making Franchises Great Again: Incention x Story
Incention and Story are pioneering a new model for franchise development, merging AI and blockchain to create a seamless platform for collaborative IP creation.
- AI-Driven Content Generation: Emergence utilizes AI agents like A.T.L.A.S. to streamline storytelling, reduce costs, and accelerate production timelines. A.T.L.A.S. assists in generating narratives, managing audience interactions, and even co-developing world-building elements.
- Programmable IP on Story: Story enables IP ownership and financial rewards to be shared across fans, creators, and AI agents. This model reduces content production costs while turning audiences into stakeholders in the success of a franchise.
Contributors to Emergence can reimagine characters and storylines, aided by the generative AI co-pilot A.T.L.A.S., and have the opportunity to profit from their contributions.
"Incention was built on a simple idea: what if expanding an IP franchise didn’t require more budget, just more participation? With Emergence, we’re inviting fans, to co-create inside a shared, studio-quality world. Thanks to Story, every contribution is credited, licensed, and monetizable. This isn’t about replacing traditional entertainment companies, it’s about unlocking new ways for them to extend their IP using AI tools and user generated content. A franchise development model fit for AI era."
Chase Rosenblatt, Founder and CEO of Incention
Chase Rosenblatt, Founder and CEO of Incention
Blueprinting the Future of Entertainment
Emergence isn’t just a new franchise—it’s a blueprint for the future of entertainment. By integrating AI and blockchain, Incention is redefining Hollywood’s relationship with technology, storytelling, and audience participation.
This approach allows fans to actively extend the lifecycle of IP with AI, breaking down the walls between creators and communities. It offers a glimpse into a world where the barriers between franchise owners and fans dissolve, empowering communities to breathe new life into the stories that inspire them.
As AI continues to shape the entertainment landscape, Hollywood must evolve beyond traditional models and embrace collaborative, programmable storytelling.
With Emergence leading the way, the industry isn’t just surviving the AI revolution—it’s thriving in it.
