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Rebellion training model: how cross-disciplinary production builds a transmedia moat

Summary
Rebellion's transmedia operation spans games, comics, film, tabletop, novels, audio, and a physical prop company - all under independent ownership since 1992
The Rebellion training approach cross-deploys workforce and assets across divisions, closing loops between physical production and digital output
Atomfall surpassed 2.5 million units sold before TV expansion began - illustrating success-first sequencing that protects capital
"The longevity of a world or a character is what sustains us"
— Ben Smith, Head of Film, TV, and Publishing at Rebellion
01

Physical production feeds digital pipelines through owned infrastructure

Rebellion acquired a costume and prop company originally rented for period-accurate WWII uniforms on Sniper Elite
Those physical assets are scanned via photogrammetry and integrated directly into game builds
"We make props, we design and create things that are then made physically by this extraordinarily talented prop company, that we then put back into our games using photogrammetry. So it's this virtuous circle"
— Ben Smith, Head of Film, TV, and Publishing at Rebellion
In-house audio uses physical Foley effects, including hiring an Airbnb swimming pool to record water sounds
Each acquired unit trains into the broader pipeline rather than operating as a standalone revenue center
02

Transmedia expansion is gated behind proven commercial performance

Adaptations follow validated IP - they never precede it
Atomfall crossed 2.5 million units sold before Rebellion initiated TV series development
"The primary thing has to be a success, and [that] leads what that IP becomes"
— Ben Smith, Head of Film, TV, and Publishing at Rebellion
"You've got to see an element of that success to be able to pull a strategy together"
— Victoria Justice, Director of Consumer Products at Rebellion
"If we just did a film of every game we did... we'd go bust very quickly"
— Ben Smith, Head of Film, TV, and Publishing at Rebellion
03

Founder control enables decade-scale IP management

Rebellion has survived 30+ years without acquisition - a direct result of founder control by Jason and Chris Kingsley
Proprietary in-house engine Asura keeps the full production stack independent of third-party platforms
"You're given autonomy... each department is given autonomy - 'You know what you're doing, go and do what you're good at'"
— Victoria Justice, Director of Consumer Products at Rebellion
Rogue Trooper illustrates the long-cycle model: 40 years as a comic, 20 as a game, now filming as a Duncan Jones feature
"It's about managing these things across decades... The opportunities come at different times"
— Ben Smith, Head of Film, TV, and Publishing at Rebellion
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