So I write and "world build" ALOT, actually created my own series that explicitly does this but I think that the main difference in what I do and most others is that my "lore" is centered around the real material world that we all live in.

For example I'll use a wide range of different influences and subject matter like science, history, and mythology woven into the story and a bit of "fictitious telling" to entertain and draw people in.

This is directly influenced and inspired by other works that the younger and older generations alike seem to be especially enthused with.

I'll actually read alot of and kind of "study" other successful franchises to take ques in what people are drawn to and what interests them to help build it.

Few examples would be comicbooks, Warhammer 40k, Starwars, Startrek, Tolkein etc...

Basically all of the "givens" in that respect.

But something else I'd found is that people will actually use applications like Reddit, Social Media, Podcasts and the like to treat anything from unsolved murders, conspiracy theories, or undervalued and little known historical events in the very same kind of way.

They'll actually call these things "Lore" which in part is what encouraged me to infuse the two together in the way that I do.

Because you're not only creating an independent narrative and setting but you're also using it as a kind of "teaching moment"  to reference all of these different interesting things that people might not know about, yet perhaps they'd like to and perhaps they should!

And I think you're absolutely right; in ALOT OF CASES these things can get very convoluted, derivative, or repetitive.

Except there are ways around this to prevent it from happening.

For instance I'll use things like allegory, symbolism, and multimedia applications (music & graphic art are two examples" to do what I call "layering".

Whereas rather than writing yourself down a "rabbit hole" with it you're adding all of these different kinds of iconography and references that act kind of like "Easter eggs" where those that are into that sort of thing can delve deeper and deeper and yet for those that aren't the general story can still stand on it's own.

I also feel like one thing we really don't talk about in how these things can very easily get convoluted, contradictory or just all round' "mucked up" is how with alot of these bigger I.P. and franchises you'll have a bunch of different writers and artists all working on the same universe with each their own perspectives, identities, or artistic styles or even worse, just won't do their FUCKING RESEARCH and what you get is an erroneous nosedive with an entire damned franchise.

Which I've figured out a pretty cool way around that too!

The way I like to approach this with my series is that EVERY SINGLE bit of talent and constructive input I can possibly muster I'll actively USE as a kind of resource to "snowball" and empower it.

Meaning that I'll adopt other artists, writers, musicians with all of these different perspectives, identities, influences and styles and I'll use their talents and inputs as a kind of resource while at the same time acting like the one consistent, teathered lifeline that brings it all together and to a plot driven fruition.

Rather than acting as some sort of hyperfixated, overbearing control freak I'll do the exact opposite and EVERY SINGLE bit of collective influence I can meld together as a co-operative voice or partnership makes it that much stronger and potentially prolific.

Up to the point that I'll actually take requests and input FROM THE AUDIENCE as I'm writing it to help them feel included and apart of it. Like it was always MEANT FOR THEM because that's the best way I've found to approach it.

So far both artists and the comparatively small audience I've managed to get has absolutely loved it.

You create a thing these people WANT to see succeed and as you do you get something that has all this different input; from the most prolific artists, to the starving artist everyman, to fringe groups that do not feel like they've ever been accurately "seen" or "represented" or even feel like most forms of Hollywood generated media has ever even sincerely tried in a way that wasn't agenda or monetarily driven.