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.