21 MAR 2023

Series Mania 2023: What is consumers perception regarding TV adaptations of videogames?

Television adaptations from videogames soared by 47% from 2021 to 2022, with “The Last of Us”, the latest great hit of HBO Max, being responsible for changing the perception of consumers about the quality of such titles, Omdia revealed.

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María Rua Aguete

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Television adaptations from videogames soared by 47% from 2021 to 2022, with “The Last of Us”, the latest great hit of HBO Max, being one of the best examples of this success, and also responsible for changing the perception of consumers about the quality of such titles, Omdia revealed in its latest report, presented during the Series Mania Forum by María Rua Aguete, Senior Research Director, Media & Entertainment.

According to María Rua Aguete, game-to-screen series have grown continually since the 1980s. Although HBO Max’s “The Last of Us” is today’s best example, Netflix is, in fact, the one that has led the charge with shows based around IP such as “Resident Evil,” “Castlevania” and “League of Legends,” which have also been key to improving consumer perceptions around video game remakes.

“Streaming services and studios need more content to monetize their services and reach profitability. Dedicated fan bases across IP such as games, books and podcasts are becoming increasingly valuable,”  María Rua Aguete told TBI, while also noting that the size of the gaming market – two thirds of US consumers are gamers across mobile, PC and console – also provides huge cross-selling potential, meaning more adaptations can be expected.

At the same time, the worlds of gaming and streaming seem to feed off each other, generating a win-win relationship for both. For example, in the week after “The Last of Us” debuted in the UK, sales of the original videogame of “The Last of Us” spiked 238% week-on-week, while the PlayStation 4 version of the game, “The Last of Us: Remastered,” saw a 322% sales spike.

The findings from Omdia also suggest it is not just the quantity of video game adaptations that is increasing: the quality of shows is also improving. "The days of poor performing titles like ‘Tomb Raider’ or ‘House of the Dead’ are over. Now, we have series like ‘The Last of Us’ on HBO, and they prove that quality, investment and writing of those adaptations has considerably improved. Adaptations are also in the rise because gaming IP tends to lean into the political and social zeitgeist,”  the Omdia analyst remarked.

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