Video game adaptations into more traditional media formats aren’t anything new, but they have been gaining traction in recent years through fanbases receiving them more warmly.
Whether it’s Detective Pikachu, Sonic the Hedgehog, The Last of Us or The Super Mario Bros Movie, the past half-decade has seen a real turnaround in spin-off quality for the better - according to the almost-unanimous cacophony of gamer voices.
There are more and more serialised shows based on video games too, the latest among them being Fallout. But does a successful TV adaptation actually mean anything for a franchise’s game metrics?
At least for Fallout, Layer founder and CEO Rachit Moti answers a resounding "yes".
Brand boost
The success of the Amazon Prime Fallout show can be seen in its glowing reviews and satisfied fanbase, and Moti notes that Fallout Shelter’s daily downloads increased in anticipation of the series, up 20% in the 24 hours before release and 516% since the series aired last week.
Now, the game is "settling at number seven" on Apple’s free games chart according to Moti - its highest position since 2018. Based on Sensor Tower data, it has also risen to the second spot among all RPGs on Apple’s US App Store.
As for daily revenue, meanwhile, that’s seen a major 384% boost since the series released last week, or $200,000 in total gross revenue in just five days.
This sharp rise of a near decade-old title clearly shows the impact a new medium of storytelling can have on a mobile game, and similar results have been observed on PC too, with Fallout 76 players up nearly 17% based on Steam data.
"Unsurprisingly, the two games with live service elements - 76 and Shelter - have shown the most traction due to their tie-in activities of new outfits and characters connected to the show. It’s important to remember that the show is still relatively new, and we will only see the full impact of this adaptation in the weeks ahead," Moti says.
In an inverse of this promotional campaign, the Barbie movie partnered with multiple mobile games last year to land the IP in front of a wider audience and bolster ticket sales; this included a deal to bring Barbie to Scopely's Stumble Guys.
