While the number of games keeps increasing, the competition for players also intensifies, making it harder to reach a global breakthrough. As a result, particular game studios leverage big IP in the form of sequels, prequels and spinoffs instead of releasing new, unknown titles.
For this reason, though not a new concept, adaptations of games in film and TV have also increasingly gained traction, with a surge in viewership resulting in higher interest in cross-media IP.
Transmedia IP as a new way to boost revenue
Crunching data from FTI Consulting shows the number of films and TV series based on game IP was 150% higher in 2023 than in 2018, indicating a sharp rise in developments in this realm, with series particularly on the rise. In 2020, these constituted an average of 40% of total game IP adaptations – a number that increased to 65% in 2024.
Films, instead, have pushed the data when it comes to revenue. In 2023, The Super Mario Bros. Movie grossed a record-breaking $575 million in the US and $1.4 billion worldwide, making it one of the 50 highest-grossing films in history. With $958 million, A Minecraft Movie is the second highest-grossing film ever based on a game, and was the third-highest-grossing film of all releases in 2025.
But while driving revenue by leveraging game IP is proving successful, there’s a parallel pattern of games benefitting from TV and film adaptations, attracting large audiences too.
Following the release of HBO series The Last of Us, which became the most-watched show in Europe and Latin America in HBO Max’s history, both the original game and its sequel spiked in terms of active players and sales. The Last of Us season 2 recently won Best Adaptation at The Game Awards 2025.
Games based on existing IP
The exact number of licensed games based on non-game entertainment IP is harder to pin down. According to a cross-media study from Ampere, more than 2,000 licensed games were released over the last four decades, an average of 50 per year. With the growth of the games industry and the mobile games boom in particular, it’s likely most of those titles were released during the last ten years.
According to Newzoo’s IP-based Mobile Games report from 2022, the number of mobile games based on non-game entertainment IP was 650. 78% of those were active on the App Store or Google Play as of 2021, and were mainly released between 2016 – 2021. Titles adapted from other game franchises like Pokémon, Call of Duty, and League of Legends were not included among those 650.
Notably, in terms of broader trends, multiple analytics and reports agree that around half, with slight variations depending on geography, of today’s top‑grossing mobile games in major markets are IP-based.
Among these are well-known titles including PUBG Mobile, Pokémon GO, Call of Duty: Mobile and Minecraft, alongside IP such as Star Trek, Marvel, and Harry Potter.
This article was first published on PocketGamer.biz.
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