The success of video games in the world of cinema and television

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The seventh art was, some time ago, considered the highest level that certain works could reach, many coming from theater, television, books or even the immense imagination of the directors who brought them to life. But as happens in life, everything evolves by leaps and bounds. We discussed how changed the film and television entertainment industry these last years.

Along these lines, we can virtually guarantee that any work can reach the pinnacle of film and television. And it is here that we witness the gradual incursion of video games, which are no stranger to their participation in this lucrative entertainment sector.

We could see it with the ifailed and terrible attempt with the film Super Mario Bros. from 1993who sought to bring the fame of the plumber to the big screen, even if his disappointment was such that Nintendo abandoned this path and returned through the front door after 30 years, in 2023, with the animated adaptation The Super Mario Bros.

The latter being a major bomb, leaving the Japanese so satisfied that they now have a sequel in mind and also Zelda’s foray with her own feature film, to seek to claim a piece of that pie. However, I got a little ahead of myself and by that I mean that before this happened, many franchises took this big step to the big screen. Some achieving moderate success and others consummating their triumph to chain new deliveries.

However, this is not limited to cinema, an important step has also been taken towards television series, although these are more focused on streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and many more

What is the reason why this type of adaptation occurs?

This seems obvious, but There are various factors that go beyond economics.. Obviously making this type of investment from a production company or channel interested in securing the rights to a franchise and taking this leap of faith is not an easy task. Although it all depends on the effort and care with which you seek to adapt.

One of the most obvious reasons for this move is to market a franchise, that is, to get a name in front of more people and make it popular. This translates into an increase in the sales of games and products of a brand, this is reflected in the recent success of the Fallout series, in which we have witnessed the sales of several of its games, benefiting and bringing them back to life to a work. . In short, it’s money, but in a different way, retaining fans and expanding the universe.

There is nothing more important for a game than to be on everyone’s lips, whether through social networks, videos and its community. This is why many companies are bringing IPs to this well-known world of entertainment. Sega did its part with Sonic, The Pokémon Company with Detective Pikachu, Five Nights at Freddy’s by Scott Cawthon or even with Nintendo and The Super Mario Bros Movie (in 2023). Giving visibility to your franchises is synonymous with increased sales and growing popularity.

Why the success of these adaptations?

A question that is not very obvious and seems to depend on time and other factors. Let’s take the case of Super Mario Bros from 1993, it didn’t succeed with its fans and even less at the box office, but that has an explanation. It was a terrible adaptation, leaving out a number of details that buried it. Now let’s see what happens now.

• Be loyal to a franchise, without leaving aside the details that distinguish it. A striking example, Sonic on the big screen, shows us a charismatic and fast character, a true representation of what the blue hedgehog can be in video games.
• Count yourselfa story that arouses our interestas in the case of the Arkane or Cyberpunk series, which have a rich history and which make us feel part of this magical world that we see in video games.
• Own a excellent level of management and a team ready to offer us a good product, with actors and casting to match, like what happened with The Last of Us.
• Don’t overuse a story and give us meaningless nuances, we’re talking about you Resident Evil and the thousand and one live-action films that left this famous Capcom IP in tatters.
• Call for nostalgiaHere is a clear example that, for me, totally fits this, is the Netflix series Castlevania, which offers us moments, characters and an exquisite combination of elements, which make us fall in love with a set of insane references that overwhelm our minds. .the senses.
• Have the budget being able to capture all the necessary ideas, so that it doesn’t feel like second-rate work or one that might offend fans of a franchise, because, as a result, the care and detail that goes into a series or film based on a title.

The best adaptations from the world of video games

Below we are going to see a series of works that are very remarkable and have earned their place in the world of entertainment, many of them are considered the best we have ever seen. Let’s go over a few.

Esoteric

League of Legends has carved out a niche for itself, because with the Arcane series, they have set the bar very high in terms of this adaptation.

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