Syfy renews Defiance — the TV show that is also a game

The transmedia collaboration between the SyFy network and game developer Trion Worlds is paying off.

SyFy revealed today that it will renew the show for a second season. The sci-fi postapocalyptic drama debuted to the second largest audience in the network’s history and continues to retain much of its audience.

“Bringing the rich world of Defiance to life has been in incredible team effort,” SyFy president of original content Mark Stern said in a statement. “We couldn’t ask for better partners than Kevin Murphy, his amazing cast and crew, and Trion Worlds. We can’t wait to see where they take us in the second season.”

Murphy is the show’s executive producer. He will stay on with the show in that role for its next season.

The game is also finding success. GamesBeat reported earlier this month that Defiance for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 has had more than 1 million gamers register for its multiplayer online action.

As the show continues to grow into a series, Trion will have to try to find ways to keep the game interesting to players as well. The show and the game have a small influence on one another, and we’ll also continue to follow how that works and expands in season two.