Video Games Go Mainstream: The Journey to Becoming a Transmedia Franchise

The current buzz in Hollywood revolves around video game adaptations, but as the superhero genre has demonstrated in the past decades, it won't be a simple task.

The video game industry has come a long way since its inception, and it is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. In recent years, the gaming market has been booming, with projections estimating that it will surpass a remarkable $250 billion milestone by 2025. This impressive growth has been fueled by the increasing popularity of mobile gaming and the emergence of esports.

While the success of video games in their original medium is well-established, their adaptation to other forms of media has been a hit-or-miss affair. One of the earliest attempts at a video game movie adaptation, Super Mario Bros., was released in 1993. Since then, various other efforts have been made to bring video game characters and stories to the big screen. Unfortunately, most of these adaptations have failed to resonate with audiences, resulting in negative reviews and poor box office performance.

One of the main challenges of adapting video games to other forms of media is the difference in storytelling and pacing. Video games tend to have longer and more complex storylines and character development, which can be challenging to condense into a two-hour movie. Additionally, some games are successful because of their interactivity, which cannot be replicated in other media.

Despite these challenges, there have been recent successes in adapting video game franchises to other media, such as Netflix 's Arcane and CyberPunk 2077 Edgerunner, HBO 's The Last of Us, Paramount Pictures 's Sonic The Hedgehog, and Illumination 's Super Mario Bros. movie. These recent successes suggest that the interest in adapting video games to other media is still strong, and we can expect more attempts in the coming years.

However, selecting the right intellectual property (IP) to adapt and finding the balance between cost and expected revenue will be a tricky exercise. Gamers are a vocal community, and translating the storyline and gameplay that work on video games to the screen is not easy. A poorly executed adaptation can lead to backlash and hurt profitability, which can be especially challenging for high-budget movies.

Another key challenge will be working with IPs that may not have the same strength across all regions. Tailoring marketing approaches to maximize established markets and attract new audiences who have never played the game while also working on regions where the IP did not resonate will be critical.

As studios start to explore this new era, having a clear understanding of what worked and didn't for the superhero genre will be critical to increasing the success of their films. Mainly considering that there are already strong conversations around creating multiverses for gaming IPs, for example, creating consecutive films based on the Nintendo library that culminate in a Super Smash Bros. movie. Even though it is an appealing concept and any fan's dream, it may not be the right approach to force a multi-film storyline that culminates in an event-type movie "just because." A great example is DC Comics' attempt at recreating MCU's model, which did not work for them.

In summary, the video game industry is finally getting the attention it deserves from mainstream media. However, expanding gaming IPs to new platforms will be challenging, but the results can be rewarding for all. Converting it into a transmedia franchise will be crucial to maximizing revenue and profitability. So having a constant pulse on the digital signals and a clear understanding of what resonates with the fans while also finding opportunities to unlock the IP to a broader audience will be critical to ensure success.

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source: Statista, IMDb, and Box Office Mojo.