By Gavin Boyle
Video games are the new cash cow for the movie and TV business, and doing so has been extremely lucrative for gaming as well, as millions of new players have flooded into the pastime.
“Media adaptations are superchargers for the player bases of gaming franchises,” said Ampere analyst Ricardo Parsons. “They attract new users at a scale, from first-time players diving into ‘Fallout’s’ wasteland to lapsed gamers returning to ‘Minecraft.’ And unlike DLC (downloadable content) or remasters, hit adaptations showcase these stories to a wider audience, extending their reach.”
Related: Are Video Game Adaptations Hollywood’s Next Big Trend?
“With adaptations of ‘Call of Duty,’ ‘Life is Strange,’ and ‘Dark Deception’ all announced recently, Ampere expects this trend to continue – creating win-wins for publishers seeking new players and studios hungry for ready-made fanbases,” The Hollywood Reporter said.
While it is no question that video games are an incredible way for brands to advertise through – whether it be an entertainment brand or something else – movies and TV shows have proven to be great advertisers for video games as well. On average, TV adaptations have led to a 203% jump in players while movies have caused an average rise of 48%.
This data will likely fuel even more video game adaptations as video game companies and TV/movie studios clamor to team up. These adaptations perform particularly well because they have an already-established fanbase thanks to a recognizable IP.
“Content-wise, I think everyone is very, very interested in IP right now. Something that has a built-in audience and adapting that into a narrative, whether that’s TV series, movie or a special,” explained Ben Kalina, Chief Operating Officer at Titmouse animation studio. “If they know that there’s an audience in something that had a life prior to series, that’s super compelling.”
It’s no wonder why studios continue to fight to partner with major video games when many of the top movies in recent years have been video-game related. 2023’s No. 2 movie at the box office, for example, was THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE, and this year’s top movie to far is A MINECRAFT MOVIE. Even more exciting is the fact that many of these stories are family-friendly and remain so when adapted. A portion of Movieguide®’s review of A MINECRAFT MOVIE reads:
A MINECRAFT MOVIE is a funny, light-hearted tale with deep meaning. It has a strong redemptive, morally uplifting worldview where people find meaning, strength, love, and courage in friendship to fight evil. A once self-absorbed character risks his life to save his friend. The evil queen says to hope, dream and create is to suffer, but the hero rebukes her by telling her that cowards choose to destroy things because it’s easier. A MINECRAFT MOVIE has lots of action violence, some light foul and crude language, rude humor and some scary images. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children and young teenagers.
It is already clear that video game adaptations are the next big thing in Hollywood, taking the place of super hero movies. The two genres, though, may soon clash as DC and Marvel both work to restore the former glory of their IP.
Read Next: Here’s Hollywood’s Next Big Screen Video Game Adaptation
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