Game companies are putting their own games on screen
A film or series is another way for the biggest game companies to earn again from characters they already own. The family films make a billion dollars. Most others do not, and series bring players back more reliably than films.
What is a game adaptation?
A game adaptation is a film or series built on a game's characters and world. Nintendo now pays for much of its own: its live-action The Legend of Zelda is co-financed with Sony Pictures, with more than 50% of the financing provided by Nintendo, and Sony Pictures distributes it worldwide.
Latest figure · 2025
32 commissions
Film and TV adaptations of games commissioned worldwide in 2025, by Ampere Analysis's count. About half the 2024 peak. Ampere counts 272 commissions from 2019 to 2025, read here from the chart its page embeds.
Where it stands
Game companies now help pay for the films made from their games. Nintendo is financing more than half of a live-action Zelda film due on 30 April 2027, and Capcom co-funded Street Fighter. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie passed $1 billion in June 2026 and more than doubled Nintendo's IP-related income in a quarter. Below the family brands, results are mixed: Mortal Kombat II made $129.5 million, and Borderlands lost Lionsgate about $80 million.
Commissions doubled to a peak of 62 in 2024, then fell back to 32 in 2025.
SourceAmpere Analysis, Ronald Santa Cruz (5 January 2026)
| Year | Film and TV adaptations of games commissioned worldwide each year, Ampere Analysis's count |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 27 |
| 2020 | 39 |
| 2021 | 35 |
| 2022 | 48 |
| 2023 | 29 |
| 2024 | 62 |
| 2025 | 32 |
| Adaptation | Release | What it is | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Angry Birds Movie 3 | 23 December 2026 | Paramount's animated film of Rovio's game, produced by Rovio and its owner Sega. | |
| Sonic the Hedgehog 4 | 19 March 2027 | Paramount's fourth Sonic film, from Sega's series. | |
| The Legend of Zelda | 30 April 2027 | Nintendo's first live-action film, mostly financed by Nintendo and released by Sony Pictures. | |
| A Minecraft Movie Squared | 23 July 2027 | Warner Bros. and Legendary's sequel to A Minecraft Movie. | |
| The Last of Us, season 3 | 2027 | HBO's series of Naughty Dog's game, likely its last season. | |
| Ghost of Tsushima | 2027 | An anime series for Crunchyroll, from Sucker Punch's game. | |
| Elden Ring | 3 March 2028 | A24 and Bandai Namco's live-action film of FromSoftware's game. | |
| Helldivers | 9 June 2028 | Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions' film, moved from November 2027. | |
| Call of Duty | 30 June 2028 | Paramount's film of Activision's series. | |
| Sonic Universe Event Film | 22 December 2028 | An untitled Paramount film from Sega's Sonic series. |
Timeline
1993
Hollywood's first Mario film loses money
Disney's Hollywood Pictures releases a live-action Super Mario Bros. It finishes at about $40 million worldwide against a production cost of nearly $50 million.
2021
Riot's Arcane tops Netflix in 85 countries
Arcane, Riot Games' animated series built on League of Legends, becomes the No. 1 TV show in 85 of the countries Netflix serves, and later wins four Emmy Awards.
2022
Nintendo buys a studio to make its own films
Nintendo agrees to buy Dynamo Pictures, a company that plans and produces visual content, to strengthen the Nintendo group's own production of visual content from its characters. It renames it Nintendo Pictures.
An anime revives sales of Cyberpunk 2077
CD Projekt reports the best third quarter in its history after Netflix's Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Its finance chief says the series' popularity visibly affected unit sales of a game that had launched badly in 2020.
2023
The Last of Us gives HBO a top premiere
HBO's series of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us draws 4.7 million US viewers for its first episode across HBO and HBO Max.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie makes $1.36 billion
Illumination and Nintendo's animated Super Mario Bros. Movie earns $1.36 billion at the global box office.
Nintendo pays for most of a Zelda film
Nintendo announces a live-action film of The Legend of Zelda, co-financed with Sony Pictures, with more than 50% financed by Nintendo and Sony Pictures distributing it worldwide.
2024
Fallout's series draws 65 million viewers in 16 days
Amazon's Fallout series draws more than 65 million viewers in its first 16 days, the second most-watched title on Prime Video in that time frame.
Sega's Sonic films pass $1 billion
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 becomes the highest-grossing film in Paramount's Sonic series, and together the films pass $1 billion.
2025
A Minecraft Movie opens to a record
Warner Bros. and Legendary's A Minecraft Movie opens to a record $163 million in North America and grosses $960 million worldwide.
2026
The Mario sequel is 2026's first billion-dollar film
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, from Illumination, Nintendo and Universal, is the first film to cross $1 billion at the 2026 box office, in its tenth weekend.
Capcom helps pay for Street Fighter
Capcom and Legendary co-fund a new Street Fighter film, which Paramount only distributes. It opens to $51 million worldwide, below the $70 million hoped for, on an $82 million net production cost.
CD Projekt produces a Cyberpunk film at Paramount
Paramount develops a live-action Cyberpunk 2077 film, with CD Projekt Red, which holds the rights, serving as a producer. No date or director is attached.
Consequences
012024
The first Mario film sold Mario games
Nintendo says The Super Mario Bros. Movie, released in April 2023, had a positive impact on sales of Mario titles that year. This is Nintendo's own reading of its own sales.
022025
Series bring back far more players than films
Ampere Analysis's tracking of play finds that a TV adaptation lifts a game's players by 203% on average and a film by 48%. Fallout's 2024 series lifted its monthly players by 490%, and 80% of the 14 million it activated were playing for the first time.
032026
Mario's film doubles Nintendo's IP income
Nintendo's IP-related sales reach 34.8 billion yen in April to June 2026, up 107.4% on a year earlier, which Nintendo credits to The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
042026
Cinemas for some studios, series for the streamers
Warner Bros. and Paramount Skydance are betting on theatrical releases of game adaptations, while Amazon, Disney, Netflix and Comcast prefer series for their streaming services, Ampere Analysis finds.
Objections
Counterpoint2024
Borderlands loses Lionsgate about $80 million
Lionsgate's Borderlands opens to $8.6 million in North America in August 2024, and Deadline's film finance sources put the loss at about $80 million. Lionsgate's chief executive says it sat on the shelf too long.
Counterpoint2024
Arcane cost Riot about $250 million
Riot spent about $250 million to make and promote 18 episodes of Arcane, sources tell Variety, making it far and away the most expensive animated series. Riot's wider entertainment plans stalled after it.
Counterpoint2026
Mortal Kombat II stops at $129.5 million
Mortal Kombat II opens to $63 million worldwide in May 2026 and reaches $129.5 million, far short of the billion dollars each Mario film made.
Counterpoint2026
Nintendo's film money falls away after release
Nintendo's IP-related sales fell 9.7% to 73.5 billion yen in the year to March 2026, mainly because movie-related revenue fell. A film's income arrives in bursts.
What to watch
2026
Nintendo's half-year results
5 November 2026, when Nintendo reports April to September. Whether its IP-related income holds up once The Super Mario Galaxy Movie leaves cinemas, after it more than doubled in the first quarter.
2026
Edgerunners' second season and Cyberpunk's sales
CD Projekt's next quarterly report, after Netflix released the second season of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners on 20 October 2026. Whether it lifts Cyberpunk 2077 sales as the first season did in 2022.
Further reading
- DataTV series adaptations boost video game player numbers by up to 490%ampereanalysis.com
- ReportingWhy Riot Games' Entertainment Aims Stalled Beyond 'Arcane,' the Priciest Animated Series Evervariety.com
- AnalysisWhy The Animated 'Super Mario Bros' Shattered Box Office Records & The 1993 Pic Faileddeadline.com
Where to follow it Ampere Analysis, Nintendo's investor relations, Deadline, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter
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