Publication Information
SIGNALS
Creative Research No. 01
Explores the Future of Entertainment
PHOTO by DAIGO NAGAO
The Creative Center published the English edition of SIGNALS Creative Research No. 01 on March 25th, 2025.
This publication is a trend report compiling what our designers and researchers learned through field research and interviews conducted from a creative perspective to explore the future of entertainment.
As touchpoints with entertainment become increasingly diversified, creators are devising an increasing number of approaches to deliver a single intellectual property (IP) from various perspectives and via multiple forms of media. This report discusses such trends in "transmedia entertainment" based on an interview with Takashi Yamazaki, a film director, screenwriter, and visual effects producer known for his work on Godzilla Minus One, which won Best Visual Effects at the 96th Academy Awards, along with a wide range of storytelling approaches seen around the world. We also zero in on the concept of "worldbuilding," which involves the construction of a coherent and compelling world, and explore the topic through interviews with various key players in this field, including Liam Young, a speculative architect working on the themes of design, fiction, and the future and the director of the Master of Science program in Fiction and Entertainment at SCI-Arc.
As Sony's design team, the Creative Center is expanding our scope beyond products to cover entertainment, finance, mobility, and more. As a result, much of the design and branding work done across Sony now falls within our domain. To provide sources of inspiration for these activities, every year, the Creative Center researches the latest societal trends, examining everything from the social landscape to public attitudes in order to develop insights and forecast future trends from a creative perspective, and distilling key insights that we share with the rest of the company.
This publication presents for the first time the results and insights from our latest research to the general public. We hope it will spur conversations on new values between Sony designers and all sorts of people whose interests fall under the wide umbrella of creativity and entertainment while inspiring collaborative storytelling that brings us closer to a brighter future.
Index
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Introducing SIGNALS
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Opening Special Tripartite Talk
Reaching the subconscious seat of emotionTakashi Yamazaki, Daisuke Ishii, and Satoshi Akagawa
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Part 1 Transmedia Entertainment
Borderless media and expanding entertainment- Transmedia 101 What exactly is "transmedia"?
Akinori Nakamura (Professor, College of Image Arts and Sciences at Ritsumeikan University) - How to Tell a Story
The many ways to tell a story- Art Project｜Les Machines de l'Île
- Immersive Art｜Meow Wolf's Omega Mart
- Animation Series｜Arcane
- Gym｜BragMen
- Shared Reality｜Cosm
- Card Games｜Trading Cards
- Video Game｜Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage!
- Museum｜Nintendo Museum
- Novel｜New Horizon: Seishun Hakusho
- Musical｜2.5D Musicals
- Board Game｜Jujutsu Kaisen: The Cursed Spirits Escape -Shibuya Incident-
- Music｜YOASOBI
- TV Series｜THE LAST OF US
- Column
- China | Web novels as a paradigm for success
Pop Zhang - Middle East | A content strategy based on investments and acquisitions
Akira Takatoriya
- China | Web novels as a paradigm for success
- Transmedia 101 What exactly is "transmedia"?
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Part 2 World-Building
- The World Calls for the World
The surprising ubiquity of world building - Interview 1
Liam Young (Speculative architect) - Interview 2
Shihei Lin (Manga editor) - Interview 3
Simon Stålenhag (Artist) - Interview 4
Daniel Pemberton (Composer) - Comic
- Sons
Naoya Sanuki
- Sons
- Column
- Gen Z and the Future of Transmedia
Atsuo Nakayama (Entertainment sociologist)
- Gen Z and the Future of Transmedia
- The World Calls for the World
Publication Details
SIGNALS Creative Research No. 01
- Author
- Creative Center,
Sony Group Corporation - Editorial Assistance
- 『WIRED』Japan
- Publication
- Condé Nast Japan
- Price
- 1,800 yen
- Publication date
- March 25, 2025
- Amazon link
- https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0F1TRPRDR
- ZINIO link
- https://www.zinio.com/jp/publications/english-version-signals-creative-research/44681