IP Governance & Canon Tiers
Without a tiered canon system, the franchise will contradict itself within two releases. Without governance, the canon system is a suggestion. This section makes it law.
The Malacca franchise is designed for transmedia expression — games, film, television, novels, comics, and experiential media. Every new adaptation adds to the world. Without shared rules for what is canonical, what is authoritative, and who arbitrates conflicts, the world fractures. This section establishes the tiered canon system and the governance structure that protects it.
The Canon Tiers
Tier 1 — Sacred Canon
Status: Immovable. No franchise expression may contradict, alter, retcon, or reinterpret these elements in a way that changes their substance.
Contents:
- The source texts. The Sejarah Melayu and the Hikayat Hang Tuah, as interpreted and codified in this IP Bible. Where the source texts are ambiguous or contradictory, the bible’s synthesis is authoritative.
- The fixed canon events. Every event listed in 02-canon-events.md, including the Primordial Canon (Covenant of Sang Sapurba, founding of Singapura, founding of Malacca) and the Malaccan Canon (the full timeline from Parameswara’s conversion through Johor’s founding). These events occurred. Their order is fixed. Their outcomes cannot be altered.
- The canon rules. The eight non-negotiable rules listed in “Canon Rules for All Creators” (02-canon-events.md). These are the franchise’s constitutional amendments.
- The Fundamental Ambiguity. The supernatural is believed, never confirmed or denied. This epistemological position is itself Tier 1 — no franchise expression may resolve it by definitively proving or disproving the supernatural.
- Hang Tuah’s disappearance. His ultimate fate is permanently open. No franchise expression may show his death definitively.
Authority: Only the IP holder (James Chan) can modify Tier 1 content, and only through a formal amendment to this bible with a documented rationale. Tier 1 modifications require a review of all existing franchise expressions for consistency impact.
Tier 2 — Flagship Canon
Status: Presumed canonical. Authoritative unless explicitly overruled by the IP holder or contradicted by Tier 1.
Contents:
- The flagship games. Shadow of the Straits and Deep Current / Arus Dalam (and any future flagship game titles). The events, character arcs, relationships, and world details established in these games are canon for all subsequent franchise expressions.
- The IP Bible itself. All non-Tier-1 content in this bible — the World Bible, Faction Bible, Character Bible, Supernatural Rules, Legal & Governance System, Daily Life, and other sections — is Tier 2. It is authoritative unless the IP holder formally amends it.
- The GDD. The Game Design Document’s world-building, character details, and narrative decisions are Tier 2 for the duration of development. Once a game ships, its shipped content supersedes the GDD.
Conflict resolution: If a Tier 2 source contradicts Tier 1, Tier 1 prevails. If two Tier 2 sources contradict each other (e.g., the bible describes a character one way and a shipped game depicts them differently), the IP holder adjudicates — and the resolution is documented in the bible as an amendment.
Authority: The flagship game’s creative director and the IP holder jointly govern Tier 2 content during development. Post-release, the IP holder holds final authority.
Tier 3 — Canon-Compatible
Status: Must not contradict Tier 1 or Tier 2, but is not itself binding on future franchise expressions.
Contents:
- All non-flagship adaptations. Films, television series, novels, comics, graphic novels, audio dramas, and any other licensed media.
- Spin-off games. Any game title not designated as “flagship” by the IP holder.
- Marketing and promotional materials. Trailers, character bios, press kits, and social media content. These must be consistent with Tier 1 and 2 but do not themselves create canon.
Creative freedom within constraints. Tier 3 creators have significant latitude to invent characters, explore untold stories, fill gaps in the timeline, and develop corners of the world that the flagship expressions have not yet touched. Their only obligations are negative: they may not contradict established canon, and they may not close doors that the franchise intends to leave open (e.g., resolving Hang Tuah’s fate, definitively explaining the supernatural, or depicting events that would make a future flagship game’s plot impossible).
Elevation. A Tier 3 expression can be elevated to Tier 2 by formal declaration of the IP holder. This might occur if a television series becomes the definitive telling of a particular character’s arc, or if a novel fills a timeline gap so effectively that subsequent games adopt its details. Elevation is documented in the bible.
Authority: The Tier 3 creator holds creative authority within their expression, subject to the IP holder’s review and approval at key milestones (see Governance Process below).
Tier 4 — Non-Canon
Status: Exists within the franchise’s aesthetic and thematic world but makes no claim on continuity.
Contents:
- Promotional one-offs. Short films, trailers, or demos created for marketing purposes that depict events or characters not intended to be canonical.
- Fan-facing content. Franchise-endorsed fan projects, community events, or interactive experiences.
- “What if” expressions. Explicitly marked alternate-history or speculative content. (Example: “What if Malacca had defeated the Portuguese?” — a thought experiment that does not alter canon.)
- Merchandise and experiential tie-ins. Theme park attractions, escape rooms, or product collaborations that take liberties with canon for entertainment or logistical reasons.
Authority: Minimal governance. Must not damage the franchise’s cultural positioning or misrepresent its values. The IP holder reviews for brand alignment, not canon compliance.
The Governance Structure
The IP Holder — Canon Authority
James Chan holds ultimate authority over all canon decisions. This includes:
- Approving or rejecting proposed additions to Tier 1
- Adjudicating conflicts between Tier 2 sources
- Reviewing Tier 3 expressions for canon compliance at designated milestones
- Elevating Tier 3 content to Tier 2
- Amending the IP Bible
The IP holder’s decisions are final and are documented in the bible’s version history with a dated rationale.
The Canon Council (When Established)
As the franchise scales beyond a single flagship game, a Canon Council should be established. Recommended composition:
- IP Holder (permanent chair, holds veto)
- Flagship Creative Director (the lead designer/director of the current flagship game in development)
- Narrative Lead (the senior writer across franchise expressions)
- Cultural Consultant (a Malay studies scholar or cultural authority — not a tokenistic appointment but a voting member with domain expertise)
The Canon Council’s responsibilities:
- Review all Tier 3 proposals at concept stage (before production begins)
- Review all Tier 3 expressions at key milestones (script lock, rough cut, final draft)
- Maintain the bible as a living document
- Track the “open questions” register (see below) to prevent accidental closure
- Advise the IP holder on Tier 1 amendments
The Canon Council is advisory. The IP holder retains veto authority.
The Conflict Resolution Process
When a canon conflict is identified — by a creator, a Council member, or the IP holder — the following process applies:
Step 1: Identify and document. The conflict is described in writing: which sources contradict, what the contradiction is, and which canon tiers are involved. This is recorded in the bible’s conflict log.
Step 2: Tier adjudication. If the conflict involves different tiers, the higher tier prevails automatically. A Tier 3 novel cannot overrule a Tier 2 game. A Tier 2 game cannot overrule Tier 1 source texts.
Step 3: Same-tier adjudication. If the conflict is between two sources at the same tier (e.g., two Tier 2 games), the IP holder — or the Canon Council, if established — reviews both sources and determines which version is adopted. The resolution is documented as a bible amendment.
Step 4: Retroactive correction. If a shipped Tier 3 expression contains a canon conflict that was not caught during review, the expression is not recalled or modified. Instead, the conflict is documented, the “correct” version is established in the bible, and all future expressions follow the corrected version. The conflicting Tier 3 expression is annotated as “contains known canon deviation — see bible amendment [date].”
Step 5: The “creative override” exception. In rare cases, a Tier 3 creator may propose a deviation from Tier 2 canon that serves the franchise better than strict compliance. This requires a written proposal to the IP holder, a documented rationale, and explicit approval before production proceeds. If approved, the deviation is either adopted into the bible (amending Tier 2) or granted a one-time exception (documented as such).
The Open Questions Register
Certain questions are deliberately unresolved in the franchise. They are creative assets, not oversights. The Open Questions Register tracks these to prevent any franchise expression from accidentally closing them.
| Open Question | Tier | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Is Hang Tuah alive after 1511? | Tier 1 | Never resolved. No expression may depict his death. |
| Is the supernatural real? | Tier 1 | Never resolved. The Fundamental Ambiguity is permanent. |
| Does the Keris Taming Sari grant literal invulnerability? | Tier 1 | Believed. Never confirmed or denied. |
| Did Hang Tuah speak “Takkan Melayu hilang di dunia”? | Tier 1 | Attribution is permanently ambiguous. |
| Who betrayed whom in the 1509 Sequeira incident? | Tier 2 | Multiple credible accounts exist. No single version is canonical. |
| What is the protagonist’s ultimate fate (Game 1)? | Tier 2 | To be established by the shipped game. |
| What happened to the Five Companions after the duel? | Tier 2 | Partially addressed in source texts; franchise may expand but not contradict. |
| Is Puteri Gunung Ledang a literal supernatural being? | Tier 1 | Follows the Fundamental Ambiguity. Believed. Never confirmed. |
Any creator who proposes a story that would close an open question must be flagged at concept review and redirected. These questions are not problems to solve — they are the franchise’s emotional and philosophical engine.
Licensing and Co-Production Requirements
Any licensing agreement or co-production contract for a Tier 3 expression must include the following provisions:
Canon compliance clause. The licensee agrees that the expression will not contradict Tier 1 or Tier 2 canon. The IP holder has review rights at concept, script/design lock, and final delivery.
Open Questions protection. The licensee agrees not to resolve any item on the Open Questions Register without prior written approval from the IP holder.
Cultural consultation. The licensee agrees to engage a cultural consultant approved by the IP holder for any expression that depicts Malay, Islamic, Chinese, Indian, or other Southeast Asian cultural practices. This is a creative quality requirement, not a censorship mechanism.
Canon tier assignment. The licensing agreement specifies the expression’s canon tier at signing. Elevation from Tier 3 to Tier 2 requires a separate written agreement.
Reversion. If a licensed expression is cancelled, its unpublished canon contributions revert to the IP holder. No cancelled project may constrain future franchise expressions.
Version Control
The IP Bible is the franchise’s single source of truth. It must be versioned, dated, and maintained with the same discipline as a software codebase.
Version numbering: Major.minor. A major version increment (1.0 → 2.0) indicates a Tier 1 amendment or a substantial structural change. A minor version increment (0.8 → 0.9) indicates new sections, corrections, or Tier 2 amendments.
Change log: Every amendment is recorded with the date, the section affected, the nature of the change, and the rationale. The change log is appended to the bible and is accessible to all franchise creators.
Distribution: The current version of the bible is provided to every active franchise creator and licensee. Outdated versions must be clearly marked. Creators are responsible for working from the current version; the IP holder is responsible for distributing updates promptly.
The bible as living document. This document will grow. New sections will be added as the franchise develops. Existing sections will be amended as games ship, stories are told, and the world deepens. The governance system exists to ensure that this growth is coherent — that every new branch connects to the trunk.
Canon is not a cage. It is a shared foundation — the common ground that allows a hundred different creators to tell a hundred different stories in the same world without breaking it. The governance system is not bureaucracy. It is the institutional memory that Malacca itself lacked — the thing that might have prevented the fall.