The Most Popular Games That Have Come From Films

Every year we see a raft of new games for consoles and PC, including both sequels and brand new titles, that sell millions of copies all over the world. Gaming is a massive market that earns publishers and developers a huge sum of money, but coming up with new and original gaming ideas seems to be a constant problem, as titles get re-hashed along with concepts and techniques. As a result, every year we see a series of titles that are inspired by (or directly referencing) film titles, with it being common practise for game developers to leverage the popularity of top film titles to make new games in a direct attempt to capitalise on the profitability of a franchise. This exercise is rarely successful however, with film-inspired games producing some of the worst titles to hit consoles and PC’s in recent years.

So are there ever any good games to come from films? What are the most popular film-inspired gaming titles? To answer these questions, we’ve put together a list of some of the genuinely good games to have come from film franchises, including the number of copies they’ve sold (where available).

The Most Popular Games That Have Come From Films

1. Batman

There have been some truly terrible Batman games in the past, but with the success of the Dark Knight trilogy, the game-version of the franchise was re-imagined with Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City – both of which were superb gaming titles (possibly the best example in recent years) and hugely popular amongst gamers. So number one in our list is Batman: Arkham City, a game that has sold just over 7 million copies to date. Not bad for a game that’s been out for a relatively short period of time (compared to some of the other titles in this list).

2. Star Wars

There are myriad examples of games that have utilised the Star Wars franchise, ranging from the brilliant Star Wars: The Old Republic to the fairly decent Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. In terms of popularity however, the Lego Star Wars: Complete Saga title takes the crown, selling a phenomenal 12.5 million copies to date.

3. Indiana Jones

You would imagine that an Indiana Jones game would either be incredible or absolutely terrible (particularly given the popularity of the franchise amongst film fans), but the LEGO version of the game rests somewhere in the middle. It’s not the best game you’ll ever play but it’s certainly a fun and original translation of the franchise, not to mention a hugely popular one. The LEGO Indiana Jones: Original Adventures game has sold a very impressive 12 million copies to date, making it one of the single most popular film-to-game titles to have been produced.

4. Harry Potter

Another LEGO translation of a popular film franchise, the game may not appeal to older gamers but is certainly popular amongst a specific market, selling a hugely respectable 9.1 million copies to date.

5. James Bond

There have been quite a few Bond games in the last twenty years, but the one most fondly remembered amongst gaming fans is the N64′s Goldeneye 007 title. Not only is it a fantastic game that set the bar for first person shooters, but it was hugely popular, selling just over 8 million copies to date.

6. The Lord Of The Rings

Since Peter Jackson’s re-imagining of the famous Tolkien novels, the franchise has been leveraged to make all kinds of entertainment media – and games are no exception. There have been a series of Lord Of The Rings inspired games in recent years; ranging from the hugely enjoyable to the downright frustrating. Probably the best title to utilise the LOTR franchise however was Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers, which sold a very impressive 6.5 million copies.

7. Avatar

James Cameron’s Avatar was a phenomenal success in the UK and the US, becoming the first film to gross $1billion in just 19 days (at the time the film to gross that amount in the quickest time). It has now grossed over $2billion to date and is seen as one of the most successful films of all time. It’s no surprise then that the franchise was leveraged into a game – although it has to be said that the game really isn’t all that great. It was relatively popular however, selling just over 3 million copies to date.

So that’s our list of the most popular game titles to have come from films – can you think of anything we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments section below!

Guest post by Pete, who is currently working with Teneric writing business plans and marketing templates for production companies, video publishers and streaming video services.

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