Who We Are
Welcome to the Templin Institute! We’re content creators on YouTube, Twitch, and a host of other social media platforms, some of which have probably risen to greatness and then collapsed in the time it took to read this sentence. But mildly provocative quips like that aren’t what make us great. Instead, we’re more widely known for our weekly videos delving into the most intricate aspects of science fiction, fantasy, and alternate history.
We love every aspect of these genres, whether we’re praising them for their details or describing how unrealistic they might be. But when the Templin Institute is at its best, we’re employing examples of “Alternate Worlds” as a method of interpreting our own. It can be a difficult thing to understand the global mechanisms and unseen processes that affect our lives, and sometimes it can be useful to examine them through a fictional lens.
How We’re Different
A Unique Perspective
Everything the Templin Institute discusses is real to us. Our videos aren’t about movies, shows or games, they cover the events of universes as real as ours. This presents its own challenges, how do you discuss Star Wars without acknowledging that its even fiction? But the framing device used by the Templin Institute is one of the core aspects of our business. It drives us to be more creative in how we present our material and is a feature deeply appreciated by our audience.
A Lore Channel With It’s Own Lore:
The Templin Institute is not “just” a YouTube channel. It’s an interdimensional Research Facility constantly at risk of discovery and annihilation. Easter eggs and hidden stories interlaced throughout our episodes continue a narrative that started in 2017 with its own unique characters, tragedies, and twists. Most people will never even notice them, but to those who know where to look, the Templin Institute is more than it appears.
The Fourth Wall Will Not Protect You
We investigate every manner of alternate world, but sometimes they investigate us back. Templin Institute investigations have been known to be interrupted by the very subjects they were supposed to be covering. In some cases, beloved characters from alternate worlds were revealed to be working with the Templin Institute all along.
By The Numbers
Our Audience
Templin Institute personnel are everywhere across the world but most heavily centered in the English-speaking world. They tend to be male working professionals interested in awesome stuff like history, geopolitics, kaiju, aerospace design, the 2023 live action Barbie movie, strategy and roleplaying games, military logistics, goblins, and preparing for the best method of protecting their neighborhood in a post apocalyptic wasteland. We haven’t spoken to all of them, but that’s definitely the vibe.
What We Do
Whole lotta nothing.
Worldbuilding & Design
Client Showcase | King Art Games | Federal Union of Usonia
To coincide with the release of “Iron Harvest” the Templin Institute produced a series of videos that provided an overview and history of each of the game’s major factions. When Iron Harvest’s first expansion “Operation Eagle” was announced, we were approached by developers King Art Games again, but this time given almost unlimited freedom in crafting the backstory for a new faction “Usonia”.
Starting with just a few paragraphs of initial notes, inspirations, and other details, the Templin Institute embarked on the creation of an immersive fictional history for Usonia. Our goal was to incorporate the dominant themes of American exceptionalism, progressivism, imperialism, and other significant elements that defined both the 1920s in our world and the alternate version presented in "1920+." Drawing from diverse real-world sources such as Mark Twain, Reverend Wallace Radcliffe, and the historical records of the United States Congress, we meticulously wove together a faction that not only felt genuine, authentic, and historically accurate but one that also seamlessly integrated into the alternate world of "1920+."
“They’re better than nothing, I guess. ”
Lore Overviews
Client Showcase | Electronic Arts / Petroglyph Games | Global DEfense Initative
To coincide with the release of “Iron Harvest” the Templin Institute produced a series of videos that provided an overview and history of each of the game’s major factions. When Iron Harvest’s first expansion “Operation Eagle” was announced, we were approached by developers King Art Games again, but this time given almost unlimited freedom in crafting the backstory for a new faction “Usonia”.
Starting with just a few paragraphs of initial notes, inspirations, and other details, the Templin Institute embarked on the creation of an immersive fictional history for Usonia. Our goal was to incorporate the dominant themes of American exceptionalism, progressivism, imperialism, and other significant elements that defined both the 1920s in our world and the alternate version presented in "1920+." Drawing from diverse real-world sources such as Mark Twain, Reverend Wallace Radcliffe, and the historical records of the United States Congress, we meticulously wove together a faction that not only felt genuine, authentic, and historically accurate but also seamlessly integrated into the alternate world of "1920+."
“They’re better than nothing, I guess. ”
Emergent Narratives
Client Showcase | Paradox Interactive | Stellaris Dev Clash
To coincide with the release of “Iron Harvest” the Templin Institute produced a series of videos that provided an overview and history of each of the game’s major factions. When Iron Harvest’s first expansion “Operation Eagle” was announced, we were approached by developers King Art Games again, but this time given almost unlimited freedom in crafting the backstory for a new faction “Usonia”.
Starting with just a few paragraphs of initial notes, inspirations, and other details, the Templin Institute embarked on the creation of an immersive fictional history for Usonia. Our goal was to incorporate the dominant themes of American exceptionalism, progressivism, imperialism, and other significant elements that defined both the 1920s in our world and the alternate version presented in "1920+." Drawing from diverse real-world sources such as Mark Twain, Reverend Wallace Radcliffe, and the historical records of the United States Congress, we meticulously wove together a faction that not only felt genuine, authentic, and historically accurate but one that also seamlessly integrated into the alternate world of "1920+."
“They’re better than nothing, I guess. ”
Product Integrations
Client Showcase | Gaijin Entertainment | Warthunder
To coincide with the release of “Iron Harvest” the Templin Institute produced a series of videos that provided an overview and history of each of the game’s major factions. When Iron Harvest’s first expansion “Operation Eagle” was announced, we were approached by developers King Art Games again, but this time given almost unlimited freedom in crafting the backstory for a new faction “Usonia”.
Starting with just a few paragraphs of initial notes, inspirations, and other details, the Templin Institute embarked on the creation of an immersive fictional history for Usonia. Our goal was to incorporate the dominant themes of American exceptionalism, progressivism, imperialism, and other significant elements that defined both the 1920s in our world and the alternate version presented in "1920+." Drawing from diverse real-world sources such as Mark Twain, Reverend Wallace Radcliffe, and the historical records of the United States Congress, we meticulously wove together a faction that not only felt genuine, authentic, and historically accurate but also seamlessly integrated into the alternate world of "1920+."