The Witcher, Castlevania, Carmen Sandiego, Fallout, The Last of Us and other franchises… Netflix and the streaming platforms love to adapt video games into films or series. But why is gaming so popular with VOD giants?

Gamers, a growing audience

The video game industry has never been better. World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Call of Duty, League Of Legends, Super Smash Bros and many others have strong and very loyal communities. Pleasing the fans, federating, creating expectations… this is obviously part of the sinews of war of the sector.  Adapting a successful franchise such as The Witcher or Resident Evil also means a lot of hype and media noise. It is therefore a way to advertise the VOD platform, as few fans would miss out on one of their favourite franchises being transferred to the small screen. It is safe to assume that a majority will at least give a work based on a beloved video game a chance. In addition to watching game-related series or movies, gamers will certainly enjoy online casinos, which offer a variety of games and the chance to win some money in the process. Just like video games, online casinos have a very distinct and exciting world, to see it for yourself take a look at Casino Range!

A lever to boost subscriptions?

Of course, adapting a video game into a film or series means riding the wave of its success on consoles or PC. It can also mean less promotional effort and the almost certain guarantee of a large audience. This is always the underlying goal: to use its enticing original creations and the appeal of video games to attract new subscribers. Today, Netflix has almost 200 million subscribers worldwide. With Disney+, Prime Video and soon HBO Max, Peacock or Salto, the competition is intensifying.

Successful video games adaptations

There are already plenty of video game adaptations on the small screen. At Netflix, there are1 Castlevania as a 4-season animated series, Dragon’s Dogma, Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light and Minecraft among others. The Witcher series is a special case since it adapts the novel rather than the video game of the same name. Studio Square Enix, meanwhile, has reportedly contacted production company Hivemind to initiate a “live-action” Final Fantasy series. Many projects are also underway: Amazon Prime Video is said to have a Fallout series in the pipeline, with Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, the duo behind the Westworld series, as showrunners. Apple TV+ has ordered a biopic about the creator of the game Tetris. HBO is reportedly planning a future adaptation of The Last of Us series of games, developed by Naughty Dog studio and awarded many times for their drama. Speaking of Naughty Dog, we must not forget the film adaptation of the Uncharted games.

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