If you’re an Eko Studio user, you may have received the recent email that Eko Studio, the branching interactive video editing platform founded in 2013, is shutting down access to its editor on November 19 2024 which they say marks “a new direction for us as we focus on a different chapter in our journey” – AI product videos.
This is sad for all of us who have used Eko in the past, and sad for all those who have projects with an uncertain future.
As we’ve seen in our inbox, this decision has today left producers finding Stornaway as the alternative to keep their old branching interactive video projects alive without interruption.
Project archiving is why we built Stornaway with its independent player model and standalone player and apps options.
Eko.com Interactive Video Projects Shutdown: What It Means for Current Users
Eko has provided a week’s notice before the editor becomes unavailable for further editing, and limited time for users to export assets and the project tree structure. See bottom for their instructions on saving images of the maps and downloading individual videos. However, playable interactive project exports aren’t available, and many are concerned about preserving the continuity of their work, and losing the hard work and creativity put into it. Given the limited time before editing access is disabled, finding a compatible and comprehensive alternative is essential.
Stornaway: An Ideal Replacement for Eko Studio
If you’re seeking a transition, Stornaway.io is here to help. Our platform offers all the essential features and more, providing Eko Studio users with a familiar environment that supports interactive branching videos and the flexibility to scale their projects further.
Here’s why Stornaway.io is an ideal alternative for Eko Studio users:
- Intuitive Story Map Interface: Our Story Map tool is a visual, flowchart-like interface similar to Eko’s project tree structure. It’s easy to pick up, even for users new to interactive video creation.
- Flexible Hosting Options including standalone and project archiving options: Stornaway allows you to host projects on the web, learning management systems (LMS), content management systems (CMS), or your own enterprise cloud. Uniquely, you can even export projects as standalone apps for Desktop, Mobile, or VR.
- Project Compatibility and Interoperability: With our unique Spacetimecode project structure, Stornaway supports interoperable workflows, so you can maintain project continuity across platforms. This is crucial for creators who need to adapt their Eko projects quickly.
- Free and Subscription and Enterprise options Available: Whether you’re an individual creator, an SME, a school, non-profit or an enterprise, Stornaway offers a range of free, subscription and enterprise plans to meet different needs.
Migrating Your Eko Studio Projects to Stornaway
Given the short notice, our team has reached out to Eko to explore any potential for automated migration. Even if automated transfers aren’t feasible, our support team is ready to talk about manual project transitions, so you can continue hosting, editing and expanding your interactive content.
Contact Us for Your Interactive Video Migration from Eko
If you’re an Eko Studio user in need of a dependable replacement that can grow with you, Stornaway.io is ready to support your transition. Contact us at support@stornaway.io for more information on moving your projects to Stornaway’s editor and player. We’ll be happy to guide you through the migration and demonstrate how Stornaway can elevate your interactive video projects.
Thanks to Eko on behalf of the community of makers
Like Wirewax, Eko was a pioneering force in interactive video, inspiring audiences and creators alike since it was founded by musician Yoni Bloch and others in 2010. Long before founding Stornaway, we have been in the interactive video space since the early 2000s and have watched and admired their journey, from groundbreaking projects like 2013’s TV-switching Like A Rolling Stone video for Bob Dylan, to the BBC’s interactive Casualty episode in 2015 and The Daniels’ Possibilia in 2017 (which paved the way for their Academy Award-winning Everything Everywhere All At Once). Eko has shown some amazing possibilities for interactive storytelling, and as a community we are grateful for the creative sparks they’ve ignited over the years. They raised over $20m for interactive video growth, then partnered with Walmart on a $250m deal focusing on products and shopping in 2019, and now have pivoted fully to AI product videos while Stornaway drives forward the innovation in interactive video experiences. We always considered ourselves complementary, not competitive – and we wish them the best.
A New Chapter for Interactive Video with Stornaway.io
As we move forward, Stornaway is the world’s most popular interactive video platform, ready to support your journey into the next generation of interactive video. We’re here to help you continue building, exploring, and innovating. With the extraordinary Stornaway Voyager allowing embedding of any web content inside videos, and use in education, marketing, tv and VR, Stornaway is your partner for the new chapter of video on the web whether you’re an enterprise, agency, university, small business or individual user.
Eko’s Official Message to Users
Subject:Â Important Eko Studio Update: An End of an Era
We hope you’re doing well and wanted to share an important update.
You’ve been with us from the start, and that means the world to us. That’s why we wanted to let you know personally: Eko Studio will be closing on November 19. This change marks a new direction for us as we focus on a different chapter in our journey.
It’s truly the end of an era—one we’re so thankful to have shared with you. Your creativity and support have been a huge part of what made this journey special.
Since you’ve recently logged into the platform, we wanted to give you time to export anything you need before you lose access. While projects can’t be exported as a whole, here are 3 things you can do to export different parts of your project:
- To save any of the videos used in any of the project’s nodes – select the needed asset in the library, right click the monitor showing a preview of the video, and select “Save Video As…” – this will download the video. Note that the video downloaded is not in the source quality that was originally uploaded to the platform, but encoded.
- To save your project tree structure – Go to the dropdown menu next to your project’s name at the top bar, and select “Export tree to image.”
- To save a link to your project (only for published projects) – open the publish manager, click “Copy Link” and save or bookmark your project. For the time being, published projects will still be supported, but changing or publishing any updates to the projects won’t be possible once access to the platform is disabled.
If you have any questions or need support during this transition, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here for you.
Thank you for being such a valued part of the Eko community.
Sent by Eko Studio Support, November 12 2024