This approach is more common these days, though probably for different reasons. A massive subset of modern anime and video game franchises from overseas implici

This approach is more common these days, though probably for different reasons. A massive subset of modern anime and video game franchises from overseas implicitly or explicitly allow fan works as long as basic rules are met - people can create and share fan comics, games, etc, and even sell art books or prints. The people in charge of the franchises recognize that letting fans riff on the work will make them enjoy it more even if doing that means giving up control. Touhou Project is famous for having barely any controls at all so there is a massive amount of high quality fan work available in multiple languages.