Secret Story Network (commonly abbreviated as SSN) is an online interactive storytelling experience which operates live role-playing games (RPGs or LARPs).

[5] Upon the launch of SSN, Nataly Ríos Goicoechea - from Conducttr (an online service for interactive, multi-platform learning, entertainment and marketing) - called the project 'very interesting' saying she couldn't think of anything like it; her review in Transmedia Storytelling went on to maintain that the use of WhatsApp, the 'most common messenger platform', makes the experience 'very accessible for people'.

[5][9] The Secret Story Network runs live interactive story-games that are experienced over the WhatsApp chat app on smartphones and tablets.

Many of the stories take place in story-worlds created for SSN events; however there have also been transmedia tie-ins, such as with the Australian soap opera Neighbours and the tabletop role-playing game Titan Effect.

[6] In January of that year, co-founder of WhatsApp Jan Koum announced there would no longer charge an annual subscription fee so as to encourage users without credit cards to join the platform.

[2] One of the participants in these early sessions was Dr Anna Zaluczkowska, a research academic, writer, and filmmaker from Leeds Beckett University (LBU).

As the Introduction stated this was a ‘year-long research and development project’ where a team ‘from around the world, from different creative fields’ ‘created a number of exciting interactive stories’.

[18][19] The aims of this funding were twofold: to explore the transmedia potential for the 'development of stories that ran alongside popular TV shows' and the creation of an 'SSN app prototype' that would 'make it easier to recruit, market and allocate places for SSN live online experiences'.

[19] The Lawrence Batley Theatre (Huddersfield, West Yorkshire) closed its doors on Tuesday 17 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they soon launched LBTV, a ‘free platform of creative content’.

Over a series of story-games run during August and September the SSN app was tested alongside the traditional recruitment processes over social media.

Two of these stories were transmedia events in collaboration with pre-existing intellectual property rights: one a TV show and the other a tabletop role-playing game.

[24] In late September SSN teamed up with Knight Errant Media for a story-game set in the world of Titan Effect, written by the tabletop role-playing game's creator Christian Nommay.

[25] With the success of transmedia hook-ups, Bellyfeel secured funding from the Screen Industries Growth Network (SIGN) to continue the development of the app for full roll-out in 2022.