Hidden Door launches AI role-playing platform with creator revenue sharing

Hidden Door has launched an AI-driven role-playing platform that allows users to create fan fiction within iconic fictional worlds through partnerships with creators and IP rights holders. The platform launches with titles including “Pride and Prejudice,” “The Call of Cthulhu,” “The Wizard of Oz,” and “The Crow,” offering a revenue-sharing model that aims to address AI copyright concerns while creating new monetization opportunities for content creators.

How it works: The platform combines AI-driven storytelling with tabletop role-playing game mechanics to let fans expand on original creator visions.
• Players create characters and embark on adventures guided by an omniscient AI Narrator, with the ability to add genre-bending elements like vampires and pirates to classic stories.
• Completing stories unlocks collectible cards that can be shared between narratives, allowing players to build extended universes and collaborate within the broader fan community.
• Users can pull cards or storylines from other players’ shared worlds, creating collaborative lore-building experiences.

The creator partnership model: Rather than training AI on authors’ work without permission, Hidden Door collaborates directly with content creators through revenue-sharing agreements.
• Authors and publishers maintain creative control while requiring minimal time investment—typically just a few hours.
• Creators gain insights into how fans interact with their worlds while generating additional revenue streams from existing intellectual property.
• The approach positions itself as a solution to generative AI copyright concerns by ensuring creators are compensated and involved.

What’s coming next: Hidden Door plans to expand its library and features in the coming months.
• New titles will include romantic fiction from 831 Stories, science fiction from authors Alan Dean Foster and Ramez Naam, and additional stories from Pressman Film.
• The platform will add “remix” capabilities and enhanced story-sharing features with friends.
• The service is currently free to play during its initial launch phase.

What they’re saying: Co-founders emphasize the platform’s role in deepening fan-creator relationships.
• “Hidden Door is the place for our fans to play within the realms of their favorite fictional worlds,” said CEO Hilary Mason. “We are building a home for fans of books, films and shows to socialize, obsess over and remix their favorite storylines.”
• Chief product officer Matt Brandwein added: “Our platform deepens the relationship between creators and their audiences—authors and publishers gain a direct revenue stream while discovering exactly how fans want to engage with their worlds, all while maintaining complete creative control over their IP.”

Why this matters: The launch comes as concerns over generative AI’s impact on creative works reach an all-time high, offering a potential model for ethical AI-content collaboration that benefits both fans and creators while respecting intellectual property rights.