THQ and Random House today announced a “pioneering step in transmedia” by creating a joint team to create and develop individual IPs for publication across multiple mediums.

In short and in non-publisher waffle speak, they created a team that will create books and games together.

The team expects this new IP to first appear as the aforementioned collection of games and books, but they plan to further develop it to a point where they can extend its shelf life through other media. This is in a bid to “bring a new level of quality to mutually created properties, expanding IP creation in ways that will immerse fans more fully in the fiction regardless of media.”

In other words, better stuff to read/watch/keep you entertained on the can...

"Working with the incredible team at Random House, we expect to build a huge IP universe from the ground up, exploring the characters, settings, and stories of these worlds in ways that let each medium do what it does best, and giving fans a truly unequaled experience, said Lenny Brown, Director of Creative and Business Development at THQ. “We hope to make this relationship the gold standard in transmedia.”

The deal will also see the two publishers build on their continuing efforts to bring all of THQ’s existing IP library to all book formats, such as the recent Homefront: The Voice of Freedom prequel novel. In addition, as a result THQ plans to increase Random House’s involvement in the creation of “world bibles” for THQ’s prospective properties.