Exploratory worldbuilding: bottom-up strategy and continuity in Ejen Ali transmedia narrative development

Introduction

This study seeks to provide a deeper understanding on the theory of transmedia storytelling and its accompanying worldbuilding practice by exploring this phenomenon through the authorial perspectives. Specifically, this study outlines the formulation of an exploratory worldbuilding strategy in the development of transmedia narrative by focusing on a specific case within the Malaysian animation industry which is the Ejen Ali franchise. As an intellectual property, Ejen Ali is owned by Wau Animation Studio Sdn. Bhd and Primeworks Studio Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of a local media conglomerate called Media Prima Bhd (Singh, 2016). As an animated TV series, Ejen Ali is widely recognized for its uniqueness and competitiveness in the local animation landscape.

Since its debut in 2016, the series has grown into a multi-platform franchise, gaining substantial popularity across various media formats. Its transmedia narrative structure encompasses a television series spanning three seasons (Ejen Ali, 2016–2023), a feature film (Ejen Ali: The Movie, 2019), comic books ( Majalah Komik Ejen Ali or Ejen Ali Comic Magazine), and mobile games (Ejen Ali: Emergency, 2020 and Ejen Ali: Agents’ Arena, 2021). Each of these formats contributes to an expansive, interconnected storyworld, offering audience with multiple points of entry into the franchise's universe. The franchise's success demonstrates Wau Animation's mastery of transmedia storytelling, employing both a bottom-up production strategy and a commitment to narrative continuity. This study explores how these two formulas have shaped Ejen Ali's cross-platform expansion, offering valuable insights into the exploratory nature of the strategic worldbuilding processes behind its sustained growth.

The Malaysian animation industry

The Malaysian animation industry has evolved significantly over the decades, driven by technological advancements, foreign influences, and economic imperatives. Media firms within the animation sector actively commodify fictional narratives through multi-medium productions, both to secure economic dominance and to satisfy public aspirations of popularizing local culture for national and international audiences (Muthalib, 2007). This transformation has been further accelerated by digitization, which has streamlined production processes, and globalization, which has expanded the reach of Malaysian animated content across borders. As a result, the Malaysian animation industry is increasingly seen not only as a vehicle for cultural preservation but also as a potential global supplier of animated content (Mohd Hasri et al., 2022).

The industrialization of the Malaysian animation industry can be classified into four key phases, as outlined by Mahalingam (2012). Phase one, beginning in 1949, relied on traditional, manual animation methods. Phase two emerged in the late 1980s, marked by the adoption of computer software to support animation production. The mid-1990s introduced Phase three, characterized by the rise of 3D technology, allowing for more dynamic and visually sophisticated animations. Finally, phase four represents the current era, where there is a heightened emphasis on storytelling as a core component of animation production.

Alongside these industrial shifts, the Malaysian animation industry has seen a transformation in audience consumption patterns. In the current phase, local animation products like Upin & Ipin, BoBoiBoy, and Ejen Ali have gained widespread acceptance, dominated the media market and achieved box office success (Mohd Hasri et al., 2022). This shift is driven by strategic storytelling business models that embrace multi-platform engagement—expanding narratives across TV series, films, merchandise, theme parks, and gamification—to build brand presence and fan loyalty. The success of Ejen Ali franchise exemplifies this approach mirroring strategies employed by Western media giants like Disney to stay competitive.

Building storyworld across multiple texts

Jenkins (2004) argues that new media technologies enable cost-effective content reproduction and distribution. Content must evolve across multiple formats, as “the need to flow content across multiple media channels is inevitable” (Jenkins, 2003: para 3). In the convergence era, audiences favor expansive narratives spanning various media formats over simple repurposing (Jenkins, 2006). The global media landscape has embraced large, multi-instalment narratives, both for economic gain as “reading across media sustains a depth of experience that motivates more consumption” (Jenkins, 2006: 96). Jenkins conceptualizes this as transmedia storytelling, where each new additional instalment must contribute uniquely to a larger narrative (Jenkins, 2006). His work has influenced studies on multi-platform narratives (Brindley, 2019; Guynes and Hassler-Forest, 2018; Long, 2007; Menard, 2015; Proctor, 2014; Richter, 2016).

Coming to terms with Jenkins's theoretical ground of transmedia storytelling, Ryan (2017: 37) acknowledges industrial movement of building a narrative franchise that hinges on the concept of storyworld which she refers to as “textual and medial proliferation.” Ryan (2017) makes the case that textual and media proliferation in the form of transmedia storytelling generally should be built top-down in order to ensure proper familiarity from the audience before they can start filling the gaps within the stories to make sense of a larger narrative. However, vast majority of transmedia narrative in the industry is not built top-down, rather it is built from an already established franchise by offering more content and/or stories that take place in the storyworld such as Lord of The Rings, A Song of Ice and Fire, and Star Wars.

Ryan (2017), however, acknowledges that The Matrix franchise is built as transmedia content from the beginning by the Wachowski sister in lieu of Jenkins (2006) thought. However, Ryan (2017: 39) critiques that the transmedia extensions—or in Ryan's word “transmedia documents”—of the main trilogy serves as “optional peripherals” rather than main content. Many users will stick to the main trilogy and only fans who truly love the franchise will engage with these peripherals to deepen their immersion into the storyworld. Ryan (2017) brought up an important point regarding developing storyworld for a transmedia franchise. Within contemporary media atmosphere, it is rare for a storyworld to be built from the bottom-up to host a set of transmedia narratives. This is because, many transmedia cases are built either from top down for pre-expose familiarity before introducing more content to audience or built from already established and popular works so that the next project is recognizable prior to releasing it to the public.

When it comes to transmedia storytelling, the importance of narrative goes hand-in-hand with the importance of worldbuilding. The narrative aspect may serve as structure that determines which element of the world that needs to be defined and developed (Wolf, 2014). In most cases, the storyworld itself is created as a service to the narrative that needs to be portrayed. However, as a transmedia franchise grew larger, the worldbuilding aspect became more significant as it provides more details for audience to immerse into the franchise. Different from Ryan (2017) who argues that the top-down approach in worldbuilding is favorable, it seems that Wolf (2014) convinced that the establishment of a storyworld from the bottom up is more plausible due to emphasis for narrative development.

In any case, worldbuilding does play a crucial role when it comes to the development of narrative across media. Worldbuilding highlights the creative aspect upon how narratives can be expanded and extrapolated. Alain Boillat (2022) expands this discussion by emphasizing how the rise of multiverse fictional works—propelled by both cultural and technological shifts—has pushed worldbuilding to the forefront, sometimes even surpassing the narrative itself. Boillat (2022) highlights those contemporary franchises often rely on serialization, franchising, and merchandising, reinforcing the idea that worldbuilding has become a crucial part of transmedia strategies, rather than just an auxiliary component.

In examining the complexities of transmedia storytelling production, Derek Johnson's Media Franchising brings attention to the issue of coordination across different media platforms. Johnson argues that franchising inherently involves negotiation and collaboration among various stakeholders, from creators to marketers, which can result in tensions between maintaining narrative coherence and allowing creative autonomy across platforms (Johnson, 2013). He discusses how managing a transmedia narrative requires not only an understanding of narrative strategy but also an intricate balance between economic goals and creative pursuits. This often leads to production challenges, where media creators must navigate corporate interests and audience expectations while ensuring the content remains consistent and engaging across multiple media channels. Johnson (2013) highlights that these challenges become more pronounced when attempting to extend a single-story world across diverse formats, such as films, TV series, and games, all of which may demand different narrative approaches while still feeding into the larger franchise.

Similarly, Michael Clarke's Transmedia Television explores the organizational challenges faced in coordinating storytelling across platforms within a television context, but his insights apply to broader transmedia production as well. Clarke (2012) emphasizes that the fragmentation of production responsibilities, with different teams working on various extensions of the narrative, can result in a loss of narrative coherence (Clarke, 2012). This is particularly significant in cases where there is a need to synchronize release schedules and content across platforms, ensuring that each extension of the story enhances the overall narrative experience rather than contradicting or diluting it. Clarke (2012) argues that effective coordination is essential not only to maintain narrative continuity but also to meet the logistical demands of transmedia production, such as budgeting, timelines, and distribution. His work underscores the importance of strategic planning and communication between production teams to ensure that the transmedia narrative remains cohesive and compelling.

Both Johnson and Clarke add layers of complexity to the understanding of transmedia production that build on the foundations laid by Jenkins, Ryan, and Wolf. While Jenkins focuses on the narrative connectivity in expanding transmedia narratives, and Ryan and Wolf emphasize worldbuilding as a core element, Johnson and Clarke offer insights into the behind-the-scenes challenges of coordinating and managing these expansive narratives. They highlight the practical difficulties that arise in transmedia storytelling, particularly in maintaining narrative consistency and coherence while navigating the economic, logistical, and creative challenges of multi-platform storytelling. Their perspectives contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of transmedia narrative production, showing that while worldbuilding and narrative expansion are essential, the success of a transmedia franchise ultimately depends on the careful coordination of its production processes.

Methodology

This study employs a qualitative methodology, drawing on the concept of authorial worldbuilding to guide its analytical approach. Martin and Sneegas (2020) describe worldbuilding as the process of constructing imaginary worlds. While all stories incorporate some degree of worldbuilding—since setting, plot, and character are essential to storytelling, the creation of alternate universes becomes a focal point, especially in science fiction and fantasy. They argue that worldbuilding serves not only as a creative endeavor but also as a site of struggle and experimentation, allowing creators to explore real-world possibilities through fictional lenses (Martin and Sneegas, 2020).

In the pursuit of examining these struggles, this study adopts Ekman's and Taylor's (2016) concept of authorial worldbuilding, which emphasizes the storyteller's authority in shaping the storyworld as it unfolds across multiple texts. This approach positions the storyteller as the central figure in crafting and expanding the storyworld, with researchers examining how these creators build their fictional universes and convey them through various media. By engaging directly with the Ejen Ali production team, this research seeks to uncover the motivations behind their multi-platform production strategy, offering insights into the driving forces, strengths, and challenges involved in constructing a transmedia narrative. Understanding these dynamics provides a deeper perspective on how Wau Animation navigates the creative and strategic processes of expanding the Ejen Ali storyworld.

A semi-structured in-depth interview was conducted, allowing prepared questions while enabling open-ended discussions. As Osborne and Grant-Smith (2021) suggest, this approach helps capture respondents’ experiences and perspectives. The questions focused on Ejen Ali's success in the market, unique storytelling, and production process. Ejen Ali's animation production follows a structured pipeline managed by Wau Animation, ensuring consistency across TV series and films. Pre-production involves ideation, scriptwriting, and storyboarding to shape the narrative. In production, animators bring scenes to life, integrating voice, music, and effects. Post-production refines visuals, applies special effects, and finalizes the animation for distribution.

Purposive sampling ensured insights from personnel across pre-production, production, and post-production. The study involved 15 participants, deemed sufficient for qualitative research (Osborne and Grant-Smith, 2021; Saunders and Townsend, 2016). These respondents represented various roles and media formats, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of Ejen Ali's transmedia storytelling. Key figures include Muhammad Usamah Zaid Yasin (CEO, director, scriptwriter), Mohd Faiz Mohd Hanafiah (COO, compositing specialist), and Fuad Md Din (Chief Branding Officer). Other contributors span creative direction, animation, storyboarding, and game development, ensuring Ejen Ali's brand coherence.

Thematic analysis of interviews identified patterns aligned with the study's framework. Key findings are highlighted through blockquotes, each with a respondent's name, position, and excerpt number for easy reference. This structured approach ensures clarity in presenting the research insights.

Exploratory approach to worldbuilding

Scholarly discourse and reviews on transmedia storytelling often entail discussions of industrial movements among media conglomerates and the examination of a variety of globally recognized works. Notably, Henry Jenkins frequently utilizes popular franchises such as Star Trek, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and The Matrix to explain his theoretical understanding of convergence logic, participatory culture, and transmedia storytelling (Jenkins, 2003, 2006). Additionally, Freeman (2017), while disagreeing with Jenkins regarding transmedia storytelling as a byproduct of contemporary industrial settings, endeavors to historicize this concept through the analysis of historically popular works such as Land of Oz, Tarzan, and Superman. Prominent scholars like Jenkins and Freeman approach this theory predominantly through the lens of popular works, prompting numerous other researchers to follow suit with transmedia storytelling analyses focusing on franchises such as the MCU or Marvel Cinematic Universe (Menard, 2015; Proctor, 2014; Richter, 2016), the Transformer franchise (Fast, 2012), and the Harry Potter franchise (Brindley, 2019; Brummitt, 2016; Maschler, 2023).

The emphasis on popular works as a form of transmedia storytelling is corroborated by Ryan (2017), who largely concurs with the transmedia logic posited by Jenkins (2006). This logic asserts that the dispersal of a grand narrative into multiple works across different media platforms should be systematically executed to provide consumers with a unified and coordinated entertainment experience. Ryan (2017) further argues that this process necessitates a top-down approach, commencing with a broader picture or grand narrative and strategically disseminating it into multiple works. Such top-down planning enables the coordination of multiple interconnected texts, aiding audiences in comprehending the grand narrative and its storyworld. However, Ryan (2017) also notes that contemporary transmedia narratives often stem from existing popular brands of content, with new instalments developed as narrative extensions or additions to the storyworld. This practice diverges from the notion of initial top-down planning which entails new and fresh work to be formulated as transmedia content, as many so-called transmedia narratives emerge from existing popular brands such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Harry Potter, and Star Wars (Ryan, 2017).

In the case of Wau Animation and their work, the Ejen Ali franchise, the approach to transmedia storytelling differs from the predictions or descriptions outlined by Jenkins (2006) and Ryan (2017). Considering the narrative progression across multiple instalments in various formats and the consistent portrayal of the Ejen Ali storyworld across several works, this study considers Ejen Ali franchise as a case of transmedia narrative in Malaysia. Upon inquiry into the process and approach to producing the Ejen Ali franchise as a multi-platformed work, we found that Wau Animation formulates their own version of transmedia storytelling, taking into account the availability of limited resources and exploitable industrial opportunities.

The Ejen Ali franchise demonstrates a transmedia structure, with its storyworld extended across various media formats including TV series, films, comics and mobile games. At the core of the franchise are the TV series and film, which serve as the primary narrative vehicles, containing the main plotlines that drive the overall story. The TV series, spanning three seasons, follows Ali, a young spy agent who stumbles upon a high-tech device known as the Infinite Retinal Intelligence System (I.R.I.S.), originally owned by the Meta Advance Tactical Agency (M.A.T.A.). Due to its extraordinary capabilities, I.R.I.S. becomes the focus of a conflict between M.A.T.A. and a villainous group called Numeros. This conflict turns out to be the central theme in the first two seasons. In Ejen Ali: The Movie (2019), this conflict deepens, revealing Ali's mother as the creator of I.R.I.S. and concludes with Ali's willingness to surrender I.R.I.S. back to M.A.T.A. for safekeeping. Season three transitions to a tournament among spy agents, where M.A.T.A. seeks a new official I.R.I.S. user.

Beyond the central TV and film content, comics and mobile games serve as auxiliary platforms that deepen fan engagement through additional worldbuilding. The comics, such as Majalah Komik Ejen Ali (Ejen Ali Comic Magazine), provide metatextual materials that further explain worldbuilding element to Ejen Ali's fan. Moreover, a section in the comic magazine named sidemission offers additional narratives material, allowing fans to explore secondary stories and gain deeper insights into character development and the technological elements within the storyworld. Complementing the physical comic magazine is its digital counterpart hosted on webtoon online platform. The Webtoon comic offers unique content, with series like M.A.T.A. Secret Files filling narrative gaps between the main TV series and film, enriching the overall storyline.

Additionally, the mobile games, particularly Ejen Ali: Emergency and Ejen Ali: Agents’ Arena, introduce new locations, technologies, and conflicts that expand the universe, with some game elements later influencing the TV series plotlines. For example, the concept of the battle arena from Agents’ Arena was integrated into the third season, showcasing the dynamic interaction between the games and the TV series. Regarding the transmedia structure of the Ejen Ali franchise, it can be argued that it represents a more balanced transmedia narrative rather than being unbalanced as described by Jason Mittell (2015) . While the TV series and film form the central components of the narrative, other media formats, such as comics, mobile games, and webtoons, each provide significant worldbuilding and narrative contributions. These ancillary platforms do not merely serve as backstory for hardcore fans but offer distinct, complementary storylines that enrich the overall universe. For instance, the M.A.T.A. Secret Files webtoon fills narrative gaps by expanding on character backstories and unresolved plot points from the TV series and film, while mobile games introduce new locations and conflicts that later feed back into the primary storyline.

Upon inquiring about the process of expanding the Ejen Ali franchise, we observe that the production team tend to innovate new narrative material suitable for the new works’ media forms rather than utilizing existing asset. For example, printed media (such as comic magazines and trading cards) would require static artwork, whereas digital platforms (films, TV series, and mobile games) can showcase animated content. The connectivity and cohesiveness between films, TV series, comic books, and mobile games may indicate coordination in developing multiple content across platforms. However, upon inquiring with the production team, it seems that the coordination in terms of the content development itself was not initiated at the beginning of this franchise's development. In other words, there is no indication that Wau Animation strategized a grand scheme of worldbuilding for the Ejen Ali franchise from the start. Rather than a top-down approach, Wau Animation explores various worldbuilding possibilities for each new instalment while ensuring that each new work remains cohesive and consistent with the rest.

Ultimately, venturing into different media platforms for Ejen Ali represents Wau Animation's commitment to exploring opportunities for business growth and experimenting with different ways they can utilize Ejen Ali as an intellectual property. Wau Animation's approach to worldbuilding is exploratory in nature rather than organized from the beginning. The narrative direction can change as they explore different narrative pathways for Ejen Ali. This exploratory approach enables Wau Animation to be flexible in their storytelling, which can be seen as strength by members of the production team. Resulting from the interview session with the production team, we found that the exploratory approach is achieved through two distinct approaches: a bottom-up production strategy and striving for continuity.

Bottom-up strategy

One of the key strategies of exploratory worldbuilding implemented by Wau Animation is a bottom-up strategy. The bottom-up production format represents a paradigm in the worldbuilding process in which the storyworld for a transmedia narrative is developed further as new work is added into the franchise. Therefore, progress in worldbuilding through the bottom-up approach relies upon the rate of additional components being added into the franchise. This would be the opposite of the top-down approach suggested by Ryan (2017).

While respondents, primarily comprising Wau Animation personnel, may not explicitly articulate their utilization of the bottom-up approach in shaping the storyworld for Ejen Ali, subtle indications of its application emerge during their descriptions of the developmental processes within the Ejen Ali franchise. Notably, the production team engages in various forms of new writing processes during the development of varying instalments, reflecting a dynamic approach to determining the content structure of each release. This would indicate that they do not have a clear and complete description of the Ejen Ali storyworld (built at the start) that they may use to embed into new instalments. Consistent with Clarke (2012) descriptions on the demands of developing transmedia works, they rely on cooperation and management of storylines by engaging in conversations and brainstorming upon developing new instalments, figuring out how the narrative will progress and how the storyworld should unfold.

The dynamic between narrative progression and development of the storyworld for Ejen Ali influenced the way each instalment, especially those with major plots, is produced. This is because Wau Animation understands that as the franchise grows, its storyworld also needs to follow suit, which would carry and host more narratives to be portrayed. Mr Usamah (excerpt 001) stated that the journey to write the story and plot always relies on the way the storyworld unfolds or is portrayed as a creative asset, and vice versa. Sometimes elements of the storyworld must be changed, and with these changes, the written stories need to be revisited. Similarly, sometimes a written plot does not work, and a new narrative pathway needs to be written. With the change in the narrative pathway, new worldbuilding elements will be created to accommodate the new narrative.

It's like it's back and forth (between writing the narrative and developing the storyworld) … for example, when considering the story, we have a direction on where we want to go. However, when the design comes out, we ask again how else we can improve this design, and then suddenly it sparks an idea that circles back to the story … let's start at the beginning, okay, we have the character Ali, where does he live, what's his school like, how is it? As the world starts growing, it fuels the story back, and then it inspires some new ideas that in turn will circle back to add ideas to the world building. (Usamah Zaid, Chief Executive Officer, CEO, excerpt 001)

As they build numerous productions and publications, Wau Animation also embeds intertwining elements that correlate between one instalment and another. A top-down approach would be an effective strategy to coordinate this practice as predicted by Ryan (2017). However, for Wau Animation, the embedding of intertwining elements is not entirely planned. When asked about whether intertwining plots involving multiple works are intentional or not, Mr Reuban (excerpt 002) answered that it is a combination of planning and spontaneous moves.

I think it's a little bit of both (referring to whether the intertwining stories are intentional or a spur of the moment) … it's definitely not a random thing. So, it's a little bit of both. It's a bit of a little bit of planning, and there's a little bit of a spur of the moment. (Reuban, Editor, excerpt 002)

Unplanned moves from the start of the franchise are consistent with the bottom-up approach, treating each new work as a fresh project instead of relying on preordained narrative conditions. This is perhaps because Wau Animation is trying to find the best way to develop the Ejen Ali franchise, which requires them to test new strategies and find the best approach. The bottom-up strategy is an opportunity for Wau Animation to learn through experimentation. Therefore, failure is a blessing, and there is always a silver lining as long as they are willing to see the positive side of things.

Mr Usamah (excerpt 003) highlighted Wau Animation's deliberate intent to cultivate Ejen Ali as both a television series and a film. However, the development of content, encompassing narrative and storyworld, for these platforms did not implement with preconceived plans. Following Media Prima's partnership, the media conglomerate insisted on initially producing two seasons of the television series and evaluating their performance in the media market. The decision to proceed with the film's development was contingent upon the success of the television series. Media Prima's primary focus at the time centers on cultivating a fan base for the franchise before committing substantial resources to film production.

At the early stage, particularly when they (Media Prima) wanted to come in, they agreed that the production would commence for two seasons first. This is because they felt that if it's just one season, it's too early to tell whether the product can be successful or not. Media Prima indicates that if it's already past two seasons and still hasn't gained traction, then forget the movie. If that season wasn't successful enough and there's no fan base, there's no need to make the movie. It would be a waste. But thankfully, after the first three episodes aired, the ratings were already like over two million viewership. So right after the three episodes, they were like, okay, we can make the movie, even though it just aired on TV. (Usamah Zaid, CEO, excerpt 003)

Mr Usamah (excerpt 003) mentioned that instead of waiting for two seasons, the decision to develop the film is obtained after airing three episodes to local broadcasting television. Having two million viewership for the three episodes deemed to be successful enough to justify the costly production of the film.

Interestingly, the narrative for the film is not pre-written yet. This is because during the early years of their operation, Wau Animation was still finding its tune in the production of animated content. Mr Usamah (excerpt 004) admitted that the plots for either the TV series or film are not mapped out from the beginning. Still, they have a form of direction on which way to go in terms of the narrative, or at least some ideas on how it should end. Mr Usamah (excerpt 004) emphasized that the consideration on narrative development and its complementary storyworld, for TV series and film are dependent upon one and another. This is due to Wau Animation intention to make these two platforms in continuance from one another and bridging both stories need careful thought process. Mr Usamah (excerpt 004) exemplified his thought on this by mentioning the portrayal of “Satria” suit at the end of the Ejen Ali: The Movie film as a teaser for future plot in either TV series or film installment.

If we take into consideration stories from season 1, admittedly, we don’t have all plots clearly mapped out from the beginning. But I believe that telling a story requires the storyteller to know where the story is heading which motivates me to at least have a form of ideas on where the plot should end. But, when it comes to the plot growth, various elements need to be considered as the production of the story progresses. Especially when it comes to bridging stories between different media formats. For example, while we know how the movie should end, we also have considered including an element at the end of the movie, which is the “Satria” suits that serves as teaser for future story plot. (Usamah Zaid, CEO, excerpt 004)

Additionally, we also want to assert that the comic magazine instalments are also being published in accordance with a bottom-up approach. Still, it is important to note that comic magazines and/or webtoon comics are not the core instalment in terms showcasing the main narrative progression as opposed to animation-based instalments (TV series and film). Mr Usamah (excerpt 005) indicates that venturing into comic publication for Ejen Ali franchise is something intentional since the beginning. However, in terms of content, Wau Animation does not focus on progressing the main narrative in continuance to the either TV series of film. The main comic section of the comic magazine only portrayed a screenshot material taken from the TV series making this instalment a direct adaptation of the TV series storylines. But some additional unique content is added to the comic magazine to increase its market value to the consumer. Even in the current stage, comic component of Ejen Ali franchise in under experimentation as Wau Animation is in the process of fine tuning this instalment. As mentioned by Mr Usamah (excerpt 005), comic magazine showcasing storylines from season 3 is built with hand-drawn comic strips instead of screenshot from the animation indicate a milestone achieved for this installment.

We also venture into comics early at a start of our company. Initially, we focus more on screenshots of the animation, but we include short comics in it, like ‘sidemissions’. We work with some smaller comic artists, and then later on, when the relationships are becoming more mature, then we look at how we can grow the comic side. If you look at the latest one, we're doing season three. It's completely hand-drawn, already complete, but I think there, as mentioned earlier, there's a limitation in the speed of how fast we can produce that. And secondly, yeah, the story, we haven't, had the chance to build unique. (Usamah Zaid, CEO, excerpt 005)

Mr Fuad (excerpt 006) argued that comic magazines serve as an avenue for additional material about Ejen Ali storyworld. Perhaps, comic magazine is the place where the production team can use to magnify certain elements about the storyworld that does not heavily impact the main narrative yet interesting enough to be shown to their consumers. Mr Reuban (excerpt 007) also agreed by stating that things that does not necessarily get portrayed in either TV series or film, yet have some value to the producer, can be embedded into comic magazine which make this component valuable to be developed alongside of the main animation instalment. Mr Reuban also argued that it is important to serve the fans as they constantly seek new material for Ejen Ali.

The top-down approach usually involves grand and overarching narrative to be disassembled into various smaller-stories/plots that are embedded across multiple instalments. In the case of Majalah Komik Ejen Ali (comic magazines), element of overarching narrative seems to be absent since TV series and film are used as a primary component for Ejen Ali main narrative progression. Therefore, its development is often the result of extra work that needed to be done to support and expand Ejen Ali and content franchise. Concerning Ejen Ali as transmedia narrative, as the TV series and film is developed in bottom-up paradigm, the comic component also follows suit as the expansion of comic instalment often mimicked the content in the animation part of the franchise.

Additionally, in terms of comics, we added extra stories. So, these additional stories can be accessed through the comics. People who watched the TV series can continue or learn more about the characters by reading the comics. (Fuad Md Din, Chief Brand Officer, CBO, excerpt 006)

This section illustrates the employment of bottom-up strategy, illustrating several key points. First, the production of television series and films within the franchise unfolds incrementally, with narrative progression and worldbuilding evolving in tandem with each instalment's creation. Instead of constructing the entirety of the narrative landscape at once, Wau Animation adopts a season-by-season approach, along with developing films from fresh perspectives. This methodology affords greater flexibility in storytelling and the portrayal of the storyworld, allowing for the incorporation of materials from other instalments deemed pertinent to enhancing the overall narrative.

Reflecting upon perspectives from Derek Johnson (2013) and Michael Clarke (2012) into the discussion of Ejen Ali's bottom-up worldbuilding strategy reveals deeper insights into Wau Animation bottom-up worldbuilding approach. Johnson's (2013) concept of franchising as a negotiated space helps explain the iterative and collaborative nature of Wau Animation's approach. Rather than adhering to a pre-structured storyworld, the Ejen Ali franchise evolves through ongoing dialogue between creators, producers, and corporate stakeholders like Media Prima. Each new instalment—whether a TV episode, film, or comic—introduces narrative elements that both respond to audience reception and corporate expectations, showcasing how Wau Animation navigates the balance between creative freedom and commercial strategy. This aligns with Johnson's (2013) assertion that franchising is not a top-down imposition of a master narrative, but a fluid process shaped by multiple parties working in tandem.

Moreover, Clarke's (2012) exploration of transmedia television offers a close description on various logistical challenges Wau Animation faces in synchronizing its narrative extensions across platforms. Clarke (2012) emphasizes the risk of fragmentation when separate teams handle different components of a transmedia narrative, which resonates with Wau Animation's experience in coordinating story elements between TV series and film. The spontaneous yet strategic embedding of intertwining plots, as described by Mr Reuban (excerpt 002), mirrors Clarke's observation that transmedia storytelling often operates on a spectrum between careful planning and impromptu creativity. This highlights the importance of maintaining narrative coherence while allowing flexibility for new ideas, ensuring that each medium—be it television, film, or comics—contributes to the overall Ejen Ali storyworld without creating narrative dissonance.

The bottom-up strategy employed by Wau Animation also reflects the theoretical position of worldbuilding features discussed in previous chapter. It showcases the understanding that expanding a franchise through worldbuilding extends beyond mere content replication. Rather than treating the comic magazines or webtoon comics as simple adaptations of the animated series, Wau Animation experiments with new creative formats, like hand-drawn comic strips in Season 3. This experimentation resonates with Johnson's (2013) view that franchising can foster innovation, as well as Clarke's (2012) argument that transmedia narratives should add depth to the storyworld rather than merely rehash existing plots. By gradually developing the Ejen Ali storyworld through iterative content creation and cross-platform storytelling, Wau Animation embodies a dynamic transmedia strategy that navigates both narrative progression and corporate considerations.

Striving for continuity

Bottom-up approach endows Wau Animation with flexibility and adaptability throughout the developmental process. However, it is imperative to note that flexibility does not entail a lack of coordination or narrative disarray among various works. Wau Animation is committed to ensure that the flexible nature of the development process does not cause inconsistency that may result in confusion among fans regarding the storyworld. The production team have expressed the importance of continuity from one work to another to uphold the integrity of Ejen Ali storyworld.

From the perspective of Wau Animation, the continuity can be defined in several ways. Mr Fuad (excerpt 008) explained that continuity is a form of repeated portrayal of worldbuilding elements across several instalments so that each work is perceived to be part of the same storyworld. This is crucial as it allows fans to be exposed to recognizable elements that may shape their experience during consumption of various instalments within Ejen Ali franchise. By maintaining consistent elements across various media formats, such as introducing characters in games that later appear in the series, Wau Animation fosters a sense of familiarity among its audience.

when we initially created Ejen Ali, before it was on TV, we released the game first. Although the game's style wasn't directly related to the story, we introduced characters in the game that were part of the series, creating a sense of continuity. Additionally, in terms of comics, we added extra stories. (Fuad Md Din, CBO, excerpt 008)

In addition to that, Mr Kamarul (excerpt 009) elaborated that continuity necessitates consistency in portraying worldbuilding elements in various work and preventing abrupt changes that might confuse the audience. He critiqued the lazy writing practice of introducing sudden abilities or changes in characters without adequate explanation, emphasizing the importance of coherent storytelling to preserve the narrative's integrity.

The first thing is continuity … When I mention continuity, it's like, for example, if a character can do a double jump, the next episode or upcoming episode, when the character appears again, suddenly they can do a triple jump. Without explanation, they can suddenly do that for the sake of the plot or during that moment or scene. That's just lazy writing, without an explanation. (Kamarul, writer, excerpt 009)

Similarly, Mr Reuban (excerpt 010) posited the importance of narrative continuity across different platforms, including social media. He stressed the need for consistency in portraying both narratives and characters’ personalities, even in marketing endeavors like social media engagement.

Very important … We have to make sure the storyline is always canon. No matter what media it's on. It has to be the same narrative. It cannot suddenly branch off into a different storyline. Unless no, actually, even if it's a spinoff that we're doing, we have to make sure it's a direct, continuous storyline because this is the universe that we've built. And I think the fans call it the agent-verse. Yeah. We have to maintain that narrative, those character personalities. Like, what would Ali sound like on social media? So, whoever's running our social media would always have to think, like, what would Ali say in response to this comment? (Reuban, Editor, excerpt 010)

In essence, the commitment to continuity and consistency within the Ejen Ali franchise serves as a guiding principle for Wau Animation in preserving the narrative integrity. By meticulously aligning worldbuilding elements and character portrayals across various instalments and platforms, the production team endeavors to cultivate a cohesive storyworld that resonates with fans and sustains their investment in the franchise's universe. The concept of continuity within the Ejen Ali franchise extends beyond mere narrative coherence; it serves as a cornerstone for integrating various components and enriching the entertainment experience for both audiences and fans.

Mr Kamarul (excerpt 011) has shared that in the writing process it is natural for the team to set a beginning and an end to guide the plot development. However, he stated that it is normal for plot outlines to diverge during the writing process, particularly in the middle stages. To maintain continuity, the production team will decide on the most sensible plot pathway and adjust accordingly, prioritizing character and story development.

During writing, we figure out the opening and ending first, and then we just need to fill in the middle. Somehow, when we try to write, write, write, the story naturally evolves So, during the middle, it becomes something totally different, which may not align with the original planning of the ending. So, it naturally unfolds towards something new or something different. When we compare it and see what makes more sense, what serves the story or character development better, we try to adjust. (Kamarul, Writer, excerpt 011)

Similarly, Mr Adam (excerpt 012) also emphasized the paramount importance of narrative connectivity across different texts within the franchise. He argued that writers (or at least Ejen Ali's writer) should understand well the way different worldbuilding elements should be connected to one another.

It is crucial. The relationship between the parent and child is very important, especially in the context of storytelling. Technology, like I.R.I.S., plays a significant role. As a writer, you need to understand how these elements are connected. You need to ensure that the technology and its impact on the characters and the story make sense and are consistent throughout the narrative. It's not just about having cool technology; it needs to serve the story and the character development. So, yes, the connection is vital to maintain consistency and engage the audience in the story. (Adam Amiruddin, Creative Director, excerpt 012)

Furthermore, while the bottom-up approach allows for fresh perspectives in each new work, the pursuit of continuity compels the production team to plant seeds of ideas for future narrative progression. Mr Farhan (excerpt 013) explained further on this practice by revealing that ideas for future instalments are carefully curated, with a keen focus on character development and thematic coherence. However, Mr Farhan (excerpt 013) also admitted that these ideas are not concretely set upon future work. Rather, those ideas will be revisited again when the actual production of a certain future instalment takes place, which is consistent with the bottom-up approach as discussed in previous sections.

in every season that we plan to make or our next movie that we predict in our timeline, we have already planted ideas. For example, after we finished the movie, we discussed what our main theme for Season 3 would be (season 3 would be produced after the premiering of the film) … When it is time to start writing for Season 3, we could decide if this idea could still be used from what we had planned before. If not, we would scrap it. (Farhan, Production Coordinator, excerpt 013)

Continuity serves as the linchpin of Wau Animation's exploratory worldbuilding approach within the Ejen Ali franchise, encompassing various features that promote narrative cohesion and coherence. It also serves as a safeguard that prevents the flexible nature of exploratory worldbuilding (through a bottom-up approach) from going off on a narrative tangent. By fostering repeated portrayal of worldbuilding elements, ensuring consistency across works, and maintaining continuous narrative progression, the production team orchestrates a unified storytelling experience that engages and captivates audiences.

When we write, we make sure we capture the attention of people who are not familiar with the series. And it works. This is for people who don't know the characters. But for the fans, the continuity and callbacks from the series help. For example, when they start using I.R.I.S. Neo, I think Alisya or Ali mentions something like, “Atlas?” They think it's Atlas, but it's not. Those who have followed the series will think, “Oh, Atlas is from season two.” The fact that the Ejen Ali story continues, and the continuity is very important. Callbacks help. (Adam Amiruddin, Creative Director, excerpt 014)

Mr Fuad's (excerpt 008) and Mr Kamarul's (excerpt 009) arguments on maintaining continuity as a way ensure repeated and consistent portrayal of worldbuilding element across several works is similar to Jenkins (2006: 116) articulation of embedding “contextualizing devices” across multiple works to avoid audience from becoming disoriented when consuming multiple components within transmedia narrative. Additionally, Mr Adam's (excerpt 014) notion of callback also reflects Long's (2007) thoughts on the concept of negative capability and migratory cues. Long (2007) suggests that the insertion of negative capability materials in the worldbuilding aspect invokes a sense of questioning, which he refers to as migratory cues, among the audience to motivate them to consume more texts. Mr Adam's perspective, however, is to invoke the sense of callback through a continuity paradigm so that fans may relate to or be reminded of different narrative instances from various instalments, thereby activating a sense of pleasure in reading Ejen Ali materials across platforms.

The production team appears confident in their ability to maintain narrative coherence within the Ejen Ali franchise as it expands across various platforms, showcasing their commitment to continuity—a point emphasized by core team members such as Mr Reuban (excerpt 009) and Mr Adam (excerpt 014). However, it is important to note a clear preference for narrative continuity within animation-based products over other forms of media in the Ejen Ali franchise. This is particularly evident when examining the comic book installments.

Mr Fuad (excerpt 007) acknowledges this distinction, referring to the comic book as a “B story” compared to the film and TV series, which he classifies as “A stories.” This suggests prioritization of animation-based media over published works. A closer look at one of the comic book installments, Majalah Komik Ejen Ali (Ejen Ali Comic Magazine), further supports this observation. While the comic magazine offers additional material about the Ejen Ali storyworld—such as explanations of the technologies portrayed in the animation (refer to Ejen Ali Comic Magazine Issue #47), contributing to the franchise's worldbuilding—most of its content consists of comic strips directly adapted from the Ejen Ali TV series. Notably, the graphics in these comic strips are screenshots from the series rather than original illustrations.

This approach indicates that Wau Animation is invested in maintaining narrative continuity by embedding meta-textual material—like supplementary information about the Ejen Ali storyworld—into the comic books. However, they appear less inclined to allocate resources toward developing new core storylines within this medium. While this strategy does not undermine the coherence of Ejen Ali's overarching narrative, the reliance on direct adaptations in the comic book installments highlights a clear preference for animation as the primary medium driving the franchise's expansion.

Conclusion

This study has outlined the formulation of exploratory worldbuilding strategy implemented by Ejen Ali production team. Through interviews conducted with key members of the production team, the study reveals Wau Animation's steadfast commitment to a multi-platform structure for Ejen Ali, highlighting the studio's strategic approach to engaging audiences across diverse media channels. Furthermore, it argues the exploratory nature of the worldbuilding approach employed by Wau Animation, shedding light on the creative processes and methodologies involved in shaping the narrative universe of Ejen Ali.

This exploratory approach enables Wau Animation to be flexible in their storytelling, which the production team views as strength. However, ensuring that all components of the Ejen Ali franchise remain cohesive is also important. Given that Ejen Ali is a multi-platformed franchise consisting of interconnected works, the exploratory approach appears to be fruitful for Wau Animation. The interviews exposed that this approach is achieved through two distinct formulas: a bottom-up production strategy and striving for continuity which has been instrumental in crafting a cohesive and captivating narrative experience. Through these insights, a deeper understanding of the diverse way transmedia storytelling is implemented is showcased given that the study is grounded within the context of the Malaysian animation industry.