Archive notice: This article was originally published on May 22, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Video games based on Hollywood hits were proving relatively unsuccessful. While cinema had enjoyed major productions and consistently positive attendance figures that year, the related video-game market was lagging behind. Games tied to current films were posting only modest sales. According to NPD Group figures for April 2009, all five recently released games accompanying film and television productions generated moderate revenues.
“Wanted: Weapons of Fate,” a Universal-financed game based on the action film “Wanted,” sold only around 100,000 copies from its March 24 launch through the end of April and generated less than six million dollars in gross revenue. Although production problems delayed the game until months after the film’s DVD release, expectations had been considerably higher. Disney Interactive’s game based on “Hannah Montana: The Movie” was also disappointing. Its development costs were far below those of “Wanted: Weapons of Fate,” but 65,000 units in its first three weeks were hardly spectacular.
“When a game is based on a well-known Hollywood film, marketing can normally build on greater title recognition,” Martin Lorber, press spokesman for Electronic Arts Germany, told pressetext. Success nevertheless depended primarily on game quality, gameplay, the appeal of its presentation and the story. “EA is increasingly focusing on projects developed internally from the outset rather than film adaptations,” Lorber added. There were still adaptations with large fan bases, including the game for the forthcoming Harry Potter film.
Electronic Arts had achieved relatively good results with its first game based on “The Godfather,” released in 2006, selling around four million copies worldwide. The game based on the second film attracted far less demand, with only about 241,000 units sold and mediocre reviews. A game based on the third film therefore appeared unlikely.
Games based on children’s films were usually considered reliable business, yet Activision’s adaptation of “Monsters vs. Aliens” had sold only 161,000 copies since its March 27 launch. Overall game sales had recently declined in the US market, so film tie-ins were not alone. Even so, cinema appeared relatively resistant to the recession while related video-game sales could not keep pace.
