Licensed games need to make a comeback
We’ve seen countless game-to-TV or film adaptations announced over the past few months, and while it’s exciting to see some really great properties getting even more love, part of me wishes we could see more pre-existing properties be turned into licensed games. Take one of the most beloved game franchises of all time: The Witcher. Those were books before they were games, and CD Projekt Red’s take on the adventures of Geralt brought a fresh take to the series, just like the Netflix series that came after it.
What got me thinking about all of this in the first place is that I finally got around to watching Season 4 of Stranger Things, and I was reminded of the Telltale series adaptation of the show that never saw the light of day.
It’s such a shame because Stranger Things feels perfect for a Telltale-style narrative adventure game, and although we may have gotten a beat ’em up inspired by the third season, it didn’t scratch that itch for me — not when Stranger Things is such a character-focused show. Who knows, maybe with Netflix starting up its own gaming services, maybe it’ll find a way to salvage a Telltale-like game version of the series after all.
So other than Stranger Things, I have so many ideas of pre-existing IPs that would make great games.
I’m honestly shocked we haven’t gotten a regency-era Jane Austen/Bridgerton-inspired dating sim yet given the staying popularity of the romance genre, but that needs to happen immediately.
I’ve also been reading through the Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo, and the setting of Ketterdam would make for an awesome open-world adventure with stealth, climbing, fighting, and sleight-of-hand mechanics. The odds of something like this happening and slim to none, but I’d love to see something totally off the wall like a narrative rhythm game adaptation of Phantom of the Opera.
Licensed games seem to be making a comeback with titles like Square Enix’s Guardians of the Galaxy and Warner Bros.’ Multiversus, so here’s hoping we can continue that trend into the future. Hollywood has gotten a taste of the potential that games have to make some great shows and movies, now imagine the fun we could have if the games industry returned the favor.
We want to know down in the comments, what pre-existing IP do you wish someone would turn into a video game?
