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When it comes to games, a lot are born from fresh ideas. Some of them though take inspiration from other areas and over time we have seen many produced on the back of hit blockbuster movies. These types of games tend to be hugely popular as they already have the fan base and interest in place. People love nothing more than getting that bit more from a film, and by playing a game based on their favourite movie; they will get to play along with their favourite characters and sort of relive the whole film again.
This feat isn’t new though, video games have been influenced by movies for decades, even as far back as the Sega Genesis era and some of the older games turned out to be real classics. Goldeneye on the N64 for example, is one of the greatest games ever produced. The Nintendo 64 classic Goldeneye has shifted over 8million copies to date and entertained people for hours on end, becoming one of the initial first person shooter multiplayer games that sparked the movie to game trend. On a softer touch, the original Aladdin on the Genesis is still talked about in high regard to this day too.
The 90s was a big era for films and there were plenty that went from the big screen to consoles. This was the era of titles such as Mortal Kombat and this martial arts inspired film, that made it as a popular game, was then a prototype for the likes of Tekken to follow. Films did more than just inspire games based on them, they set the mould for certain types of games to be produced.
When it came to the noughties, this was really where it was at, as consoles had come a long way in terms of what they could produce visually and the type of gameplay they could handle. We’ve seen some great Resident Evil films produced over the years, and the games based on them now just seem to get better and better with every instalment. The Alien series started as a film too, and that has seen numerous game releases that still continue to this day. It’s these types of games that stay popular due to the huge fan bases, and interest surrounding them that has developed over the years.
It comes as no surprise either that blockbuster movies have gone on to inspire other sorts of games too. Nowadays most people game on the go on their smartphones and tablets, so we’ve seen developers rushing to get apps out for people to enjoy playing. While Pokemon Go, inspired by the hit TV show and subsequent movies, quickly became Apple’s most downloaded app in 2016, token and money-based apps and games have proven a hit as well. Bingo and Slot games from the infamous socially-born Bingo Blitz through to established mobile casino brands like mFortune, have proven hugely popular too as people have jumped at the chance to to win money and beat their friends in local competitions. More and more of these types of games have drawn their inspiration from blockbuster movies; and it’s no surprise really, given the success that they’ve had as films and video games.
In an era where people are watching more and more films due to the new streaming services out there, Hollywood spin-offs are proving a sure fire way for game developers to deliver content that the audiences want. Video games have become so highly regarded by some that it has even started to leach the other way with Warcraft and Tombraider, some of the most successful game releases, finding their way to the big screens. With technology on the rise too and the newly released VR-compatible handsets, we won’t be surprised if the next generation of games offers a complete sense of immersion in some of your favourite Blockbusters as the lead character. Let’s just hope that it’s not Aliens.
