New research from Ampere Analysis highlights the powerful impact of screen adaptations on gaming franchises, showing that TV or movie versions of video games drive average player growth of nearly 140%—far outpacing gains from game-based activations alone.
The effect is most dramatic with TV adaptations, which deliver an average uplift of 203% in monthly players compared to just 48% for film tie-ins. Standout examples include Prime Video’s 2024 launch of "Fallout," which sent the franchise’s monthly active users soaring by almost 500%, and HBO’s "The Last of Us," which attracted more than four million new players across its two seasons.
"Fallout"’s screen debut on Amazon Prime Video delivered record growth for the franchise: the 2024 TV series lifted MAUs by 490%, with 80% of the 14 million activated players engaging for the first time. By contrast, "Fallout 76"’s DLC updates in June and December 2023 increased MAUs by just 17% on average.
HBO’s two TV seasons of "The Last of Us", which propelled the show to the top of Ampere’s title popularity charts, increased franchise engagement by an average of 150%. In comparison, the remastered release of "The Last of Us Part II" on PS5 and the addition of "The Last of Us Part I" to the PlayStation Plus (PS+) catalogue increased monthly players by 70% and 29%, respectively.
Shows with modest popularity still see significant uplift from TV adaptations. Netflix’s anime adaptation of the game series "Devil May Cry" peaked as only the 58th most popular TV show in April 2025, yet still delivered a 358% increase in players versus the previous month.
Moreover, even perennially popular games, such as "Minecraft", grow with media adaptations. Already accounting for 1%-2% of monthly total gameplay time across Xbox, PlayStation, and Steam in the year to March 2025, "Minecraft" still saw a 30% increase in MAUs with the release of "A Minecraft Movie" in April 2025. Over half (54%) of these were reactivated lapsed players.
Coordinated cross-media activity is also key, with ongoing game activations supporting retention. For example, Sony maintained engagement with "The Last of Us" franchise through a strategy of remasters and broader availability, helping retain 20% of players 180 days after the game’s peak engagement.
Media adaptations act as powerful accelerators for gaming franchises, attracting new audiences at scale and extending a game’s reach. With adaptations of "Call of Duty," "Life is Strange," and "Dark Deception" all recently announced, Ampere expects this trend to continue—creating win-wins for publishers seeking new players and studios eager for ready-made fanbases.