Franchise Reality Shows as Platform Lock‑in

When a major platform turns a videogame IP into a reality competition it creates a multi‑channel feedback loop: the show drives attention to the game and to platform services (streaming, microtransactions, merch), while the game supplies engaged audiences and data that the platform can monetize. Repeated use of this pattern accelerates cultural consolidation and multiplies switching costs across entertainment and commerce. — If platforms scale such franchise crossovers, cultural authority and economic power will concentrate further, raising antitrust, cultural‑policy and labor questions about who sets national cultural agendas and who benefits.