Open Source Media Franchises and the Future of Culture
Toward a Model of Culture Creation
The internet has shattered the old storytelling model. Once, franchises were dictated by a single corporation, handed down to the audience as polished, immutable products. Now, anyone with an internet connection can create, expand, and redefine mythologies in real time. Some of the most captivating modern narratives—those that feel the most alive—have not come from Hollywood or major publishing houses, but from online communities, where stories grow and evolve through collective imagination.
Yet for every success, there are a dozen failures. The biggest flaw of open-source franchises is their instability. Without structure, they unravel into incoherence or fade into obscurity. Without vision, they stagnate. The problem is not a lack of creativity; it is the absence of direction. Open-source storytelling needs a guiding force—not a corporation enforcing rigid control, but a central authority providing coherence while allowing creators the freedom to innovate.
This is the balance that must be struck. The future of storytelling belongs to open-source franchises, but only if they learn from the failures of the past. A new model must emerge—one that embraces decentralized production but remains tethered to a guiding vision.
I. The Power of Open-Source Storytelling
Open-source franchises thrive on collaboration, but without structure, they collapse into chaos. It's like a potluck dinner—everyone brings something, but if there's no plan, you end up with 12 different types of potato salad and no main course.
A. The Birth of Internet-Built Mythologies
The shift began in the forgotten corners of the internet. Long before corporations caught on, anonymous creators on forums, wikis, and early social media were crafting worlds that no single person controlled. Unlike traditional media, where narratives were fixed and final, these new stories were fluid. They changed with every new post, every new theory, every new interpretation.
Creepypasta, for example, began as a way for anonymous users to share short horror fiction. Unlike traditional horror literature, these stories thrived on participation. Readers didn’t just consume them; they added to them. A well-crafted concept, like the legend of “Jeff the Killer” or “The Russian Sleep Experiment,” could be endlessly expanded, reshaped, and repurposed by the audience.
Even more interactive were Alternate Reality Games (ARGs), which blurred the line between fiction and reality. Games like I Love Bees (which served as a promotional campaign for Halo 2) and fan-driven mysteries like This Man spread through cryptic websites, hidden clues, and audience-driven storytelling. Here, the distinction between creator and audience broke down entirely—the story could not exist without participation.
Then came the mythologies that fully embraced the decentralized model:
Slenderman began as a single image posted on an internet forum in 2009, but within months, it became a collaborative storytelling experiment. It spread across YouTube, wikis, and social media, mutating into something far larger than its origin.
The SCP Foundation was structured from the beginning as a collaborative horror project, but unlike Slenderman, it had rules. Contributors worked within a shared universe, creating thousands of interconnected stories.
The Backrooms started as an eerie image on 4chan but quickly evolved into an expansive mythos spanning videos, games, and collaborative world-building projects.
The difference between success and failure lay in structure. Creepypasta was compelling but directionless; the SCP Foundation, by contrast, thrived because it had an internal framework.
B. The Strength of Collaborative Worlds
What made these franchises so captivating was their ability to grow organically. Traditional franchises—Star Wars, Marvel, Harry Potter—are carefully controlled by corporate owners, who dictate which stories are "official." Open-source franchises, however, are shaped by their communities.
The key advantage of this model is speed. In a traditional system, a new installment in a franchise might take years to develop. A decentralized franchise, on the other hand, can expand constantly. Every day, new stories, videos, art, and theories add to the mythos. The best ideas rise naturally to the surface, refined through collective creativity.
The SCP Foundation, for example, thrives because of its structured yet open approach. Anyone can contribute, but there are rules. Entries must be formatted in a specific way. There is a shared tone and aesthetic that must be maintained. This structure ensures that the franchise remains coherent even as it grows.
Similarly, The Backrooms remains compelling because it follows an implied set of rules. The idea is simple: an endless, liminal space beyond reality. The interpretations are limitless, but the core premise keeps the franchise focused. A shared aesthetic—dilapidated yellow rooms, buzzing fluorescent lights, the eerie absence of life—ensures that new additions feel like part of the same world.
These examples prove that decentralized franchises work best when they have guidelines. Too much control kills creativity, but too little leads to chaos.
C. Why Open-Source Franchises Fail
Despite their potential, many open-source franchises collapse. Some start strong, only to be abandoned. Others become bloated with low-quality contributions. The common reasons for failure include:
Lack of Coherence – Without a guiding vision, a franchise fractures into a mess of conflicting ideas. Slenderman suffered from this; because there were no clear rules, the character became inconsistent, losing the fear and mystery that made it compelling.
Oversaturation – Open franchises attract many contributors, but without curation, the influx of content can dilute their impact. Poorly written entries or uninspired spinoffs make it harder to maintain engagement.
No Long-Term Structure – If a franchise lacks a sustainable model, it fades. Many promising mythologies die out simply because there is no system to keep them evolving.
The solution is not to abandon open-source storytelling, but to refine it. These projects need structure—not in the form of corporate ownership, but in the form of decentralized authority.
This is where the shift must happen. The next generation of open-source franchises must find the balance between freedom and order. They must embrace decentralized production while implementing a structured vision.
The question is: How?
This is what the next section will explore—how a central authority can guide an open-source franchise without suffocating its creativity. The key to the future lies not in corporate ownership, but in intelligent curation. If done correctly, the next cultural phenomenon will not come from Hollywood. It will come from the internet.
II. The Need for a Central Authority
Open-source franchises need a central authority—not a dictator, just someone to stop people from writing lore about how the main villain is secretly a time-traveling sandwich.
A. Why Open-Source Needs Structure
Open-source storytelling thrives on community engagement, but without structure, it collapses under its own weight. A mythology that lacks direction will fragment into inconsistent interpretations, losing its identity. An open-source franchise cannot be governed by corporate ownership, but neither can it survive in complete anarchy. It needs an organizing principle—something that allows decentralized creativity while maintaining coherence.
This is the missing ingredient in many past attempts at open-source franchises. Early successes like Slenderman and creepypasta showed how ideas could spread virally, but they lacked the discipline needed for long-term guidance. The SCP Foundation, on the other hand, demonstrates the power of structured collaboration. The key difference? SCP has a system—a set of rules that ensure every contribution enhances rather than weakens the overarching mythos.
The best model for an open-source franchise is one that strikes a balance: open participation with structured oversight. This does not mean dictating every detail of the world. It means creating a framework that allows creators to build within a shared universe while ensuring consistency.
B. Models for a Central Authority
A central authority in an open-source franchise does not mean a corporation controlling intellectual property. It means a system of governance that keeps the franchise from veering off course. There are several ways this could function:
1. Curatorial Boards
The SCP Foundation offers a successful model of decentralized storytelling with centralized oversight. SCP's moderators act as curators rather than owners, approving new entries based on quality, consistency, and originality. A similar system could work for any open-source franchise. A board of experienced contributors could oversee submissions, ensuring that every addition fits within the established lore.
2. Creative Councils
Rather than having a permanent governing body, an open-source franchise could adopt a rotating leadership model. A council of active contributors—elected by the community—could set creative guidelines, approve major developments, and ensure consistency. This prevents stagnation while avoiding corporate control.
3. Core Storylines with Open Expansion
A hybrid approach could allow for both structured and unstructured storytelling. The core of the franchise—the "canon"—could be maintained by a central group, while side stories and alternative interpretations remain open to all. This would be similar to Star Wars Legends—an expanded universe that exists outside the main storyline but still enriches the franchise.
These models ensure quality control while preserving the collaborative spirit that makes open-source franchises so compelling. The goal is not to restrict creativity but to prevent dilution.
C. Avoiding Corporate Takeover
One of the greatest threats to an open-source franchise is corporate interference. When a decentralized mythos gains traction, media companies inevitably attempt to commercialize it. But history has shown that when a franchise built by the internet is taken over by a studio, the results are almost always disastrous.
The Slender Man movie (2018) is a cautionary tale. The film was Hollywood’s attempt to cash in on an internet-born phenomenon, but it failed because it misunderstood what made the mythos compelling. The original Slenderman thrived on ambiguity and audience participation. The movie, in contrast, attempted to force a single, definitive interpretation, stripping away the eerie, open-ended quality that had made the character so unsettling. The result was a film that neither appealed to longtime fans nor introduced anything compelling to new audiences.
To prevent this from happening to future open-source franchises, there must be mechanisms in place to protect them. Several strategies could help:
Creative Commons Licensing – A franchise could be released under an open-source license that allows contributions while preventing corporate entities from claiming ownership.
Blockchain-Based Ownership – Contributors could be credited and compensated through decentralized smart contracts, ensuring that the franchise remains community-driven.
Decentralized Funding Models – Crowdfunding or community-backed funding could guide long-term development without the need for corporate investment.
These strategies would allow open-source franchises to remain independent while still growing into viable, long-lasting properties.
The Roadblock to Innovation
The fundamental issue is that the entertainment industry is built around centralized control. Hollywood, gaming studios, and major publishing houses operate under the assumption that a single entity must own and dictate a franchise’s direction. Open-source franchises challenge this model by proving that collective storytelling can be just as powerful—if not more so—than the traditional approach.
However, without a structured alternative, these franchises will continue to rise and fall in cycles, never achieving their full potential. The future lies in creating a system where open-source storytelling is not just possible but preservable.
The next section will explore how we can build this future—what tools, strategies, and models can be used to create the next great open-source franchise. The potential is limitless, but only if we learn from the failures of the past.
III. Building the Next Open-Source Franchise
The future of open-source franchises is bright—especially if we use AI, blockchain, and community-driven funding. Or, as I like to call it, “letting the robots handle the paperwork while the humans tell the stories.”
The failures of past open-source franchises do not mean the model is broken; they mean it needs refinement. A decentralized storytelling system cannot survive on raw creativity alone—it must have structure, direction, and a roadmap for long-term development. The question is not whether open-source franchises can work, but how they can be designed to last.
The next wave of open-source franchises must address the pitfalls of their predecessors while embracing the strengths of collective worldbuilding. This requires three core components: a strong but adaptable mythos, decentralized production, and a system of quality control that prevents incoherence without limiting innovation.
A. Key Ingredients for Success
For an open-source franchise to thrive, it must be designed with preservation in mind. The following principles are essential:
1. An Adaptable Core Mythos
A successful open-source franchise needs a foundation—a central idea that is strong enough to hold together but flexible enough to allow for infinite expansion. The best mythologies are simple in concept but complex in execution.
The Backrooms succeeded because it was built on a single compelling image: an empty, liminal space beyond reality. From that one idea, countless stories, creatures, and locations emerged.
The SCP Foundation works because of its format—a classified database of supernatural anomalies. This structure allows for endless creativity within a defined framework.
A franchise must have a core that is unmistakable and recognizable. If the concept is too vague, it will become inconsistent. If it is too rigid, it will not allow for meaningful expansion. The goal is to create a foundation that can support a sprawling universe without losing its essence.
2. Decentralized Production
Once the mythos is established, it must be open to participation. A franchise built by a single entity will always be limited in scope. A franchise built by thousands of contributors can become a living, evolving world.
This can take many forms:
Collaborative Wikis – Platforms like SCP Foundation allow contributors to submit entries within a shared canon.
Multimedia Expansion – Franchises should not be limited to one format. Video, audio, interactive experiences, and ARGs can all enrich the world.
Community-Led Projects – Open-source franchises should encourage spin-offs, adaptations, and reinterpretations. The best ideas will rise to the top naturally.
Decentralized production allows a franchise to grow faster than any corporate-owned property. It ensures that new ideas are constantly introduced, keeping the world fresh and unpredictable.
3. A System of Quality Control
Decentralization alone is not enough. Without some level of oversight, an open-source franchise will dissolve into incoherence. A clear system must exist to filter out low-quality or contradictory content.
Options for quality control include:
Voting & Peer Review – Contributions can be reviewed and rated by the community before being added to the official canon.
Curated Canons – There can be a "main storyline" maintained by an oversight board while still allowing non-canon expansions.
Content Moderation Teams – Like SCP's editorial team, a group of dedicated curators can enforce thematic and narrative consistency.
By implementing these structures, an open-source franchise remains cohesive without sacrificing creative freedom.
B. Technologies Enabling Open-Source Franchises
New technologies make it easier than ever to build and manage open-source franchises. The digital tools available today can help maintain structure while preserving decentralization.
1. AI-Assisted Curation
Machine learning can help sort, categorize, and moderate contributions. AI can flag inconsistencies, suggest edits, and even assist in organizing vast world-building projects. This reduces the burden on human curators while maintaining quality control.
2. Blockchain for Ownership & Licensing
One of the biggest challenges for open-source franchises is protecting creator rights while keeping the project collaborative. Blockchain technology could provide solutions:
Smart Contracts – Contributors could be credited and compensated automatically for their work.
Decentralized Licensing – A franchise could exist under a shared ownership model, ensuring no single entity can claim it.
This would allow franchises to remain independent while ensuring contributors receive recognition for their work.
3. Community-Driven Funding
Traditional franchises are backed by studios and publishers. Open-source franchises need alternative funding models. Crowdfunding, Patreon, and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) could allow communities to sustain long-term projects without outside corporate influence.
By combining these technologies, an open-source franchise can become truly permanent, ensuring it is not just a temporary internet trend but a lasting cultural phenomenon.
C. What Comes Next?
The time is ripe for a new wave of open-source franchises. The internet has already proven that decentralized storytelling can create compelling mythologies. The challenge is not in generating ideas—it is in structuring them so that they endure.
The next great open-source franchise could emerge from any genre:
Horror – A new mythos that follows in the footsteps of SCP and The Backrooms but with an improved system for curation.
Science Fiction – A shared universe built around first-contact scenarios, cyberpunk dystopias, or space exploration.
Fantasy – A decentralized Tolkien-style mythos, where contributors expand on an original world’s history, creatures, and magic systems.
Interactive Narratives – ARGs and transmedia storytelling projects that allow audiences to shape the story in real-time.
For this to happen, creators must learn from past failures. Open-source franchises must embrace structured decentralization—a model that allows for creative freedom while maintaining coherence.
The future of storytelling will not be dictated by Hollywood or corporate media conglomerates. It will be built by the internet—by the millions of creators who refuse to be confined by traditional publishing and entertainment models. The blueprint for success is clear; now, it is simply a matter of who will build it first.
Conclusion
Open-source franchises are the future of media—if we balance creative freedom with structured oversight. It’s like a playground: let people run wild, but maybe put up a few fences so they don’t wander into traffic.
The entertainment industry is at a crossroads. The old system—where studios and publishers controlled every aspect of a franchise—is beginning to break down. In its place, a new model is emerging: one where stories are owned and shaped by their communities.
Open-source franchises represent the future of storytelling. But for this future to take hold, these projects must move beyond the mistakes of the past. They must balance decentralization with structure, creativity with curation, and novelty with coherence.
A franchise that is open to all but guided by a central vision can become something greater than any single creator could achieve alone. The internet has already shown glimpses of what is possible. Now, it is time to build something enduring.
The next cultural phenomenon will not come from a boardroom—it will come from the collective imagination of the digital age. Those who understand this will be the ones who define the stories of the future.