Film, Media & Entertainment
Beyond Games: Transmedia Summit London 2026
The PG Connects conference series is excited to be bringing some movie magic, animation insight, and transmedia talk to London in January 2026.
Hosted at the Barbican Centre, one of the UK’s leading arts and performance venues, the one-day event will explore the creative and commercial intersections between film, TV, music, other media, and games – by assembling key representatives from these sectors together to explore transmedia potential.
Transmedia is one of the leading trends in the entertainment industry, from cross-media IP (with game titles such as Super Mario, Minecraft and Sonic topping box offices, Fallout and The Last of Us scooping TV awards, and more), to sharing technology or technical insight (Epic’s Unreal and Unity tech, we’re looking at you), and entirely new experiences that blend different streams like the metaverse.
Games companies are at the heart of these developments, with Sega actively quoting transmedia as one of the reasons to buy Rovio – adding Angry Birds to its stable of Sonic, Yakuza, Streets of Rage and other film-friendly brands.
Meanwhile, the likes of Supercell are busy crossing all the streams to bring top talent like John Cena, Chris Hemsworth and Spongebob into crossovers and adverts for games, whilst also working on various plans to bring the Clashverse to different screens – with a Netflix animated series first up.
Running on its own stage, the summit will feature content tracks offering talks and panels with professionals and thought leaders from the transmedia sector. Gazing into a cross-medial future, discussions will revolve around challenges and opportunities relating to IP, shared technology, new business models, investment programmes, and plenty more.
• Crossmedia Collaboration
Extracting the very best from transmedia partnerships
Shining a spotlight on practical examples of professionals and companies from the film, TV, animation and music industries who have already made the leap into games. This track will offer insights into the opportunities and the realities for other creative industries to use their skillsets in the ever-growing gaming world.
• IP Integration
The fundamentals of integrating IP without alienating your audience
Intellectual Property is the crown jewel of any creative project, but how can you protect its integrity and ‘shine’ when you look to move into new platforms (be that into or out of games). This track will cover topics relating to the translation of IP onto different media platforms and maintenance of an effective, successful narrative and design approach – suitably adapted for the chosen medium – to ensure audience satisfaction and engagement.
• Digital Dealmaking
Raising funds, sorting paperwork & running the business
Having the best creative skills or an amazing IP doesn't automatically convert into having the best studio. Raising capital and operating a business successfully requires the implementation of acquired knowhow and processes, affecting everything from the core vision to team make-up to financial management and beyond – this track will cover the fundamentals relating to funding and running a creative outfit in 2026..
• The Big Picture
Exploring the opportunities that lie ahead for the transmedia space
Cross-media collaborations aren't new, but the entertainment sector has also evolved far, far beyond 'Street Fighter starring Jean-Claude Van Damme' territory. The current scene hurricane kicks its dubious past in the face, filled as it is with thrilling examples of game IP conversions across TV, film, animation, books, music and beyond. But what of the next opportunities as we look to the future evolution of this sector?
