South Korean game companies are adapting hit games into films, dramas and animation. The strategy is seen as an effort to expand the player base through video content while increasing revenue.

Overseas, there are cases in which original games saw a 490 percent jump in users after a drama release, and mobile revenue rose 44 percent after a film debut. Still, securing commercial viability is cited as a challenge because adaptation deals do not guarantee actual production or success.

◆ Nexon, Devsisters enter video market with globally successful IP

Nexon recently signed a partnership with U.S.-based Chernin Entertainment to produce film and TV content for "Arc Raiders" and "The Finals", according to the game industry on Oct. 22.

Arc Raiders, developed by Nexon subsidiary Embark Studios, has topped 16 million in cumulative global sales since its release in October last year. The Finals has also recorded more than 30 million cumulative users.

Nexon plans to expand the two games' worlds into video content to introduce the IP to new consumers. Arc Raiders is set on a future Earth dominated by mechanical lifeforms, while The Finals is set around a fictional combat game show.

Arc Raiders executive producer Aleksander Grondal (알렉산데르 그뢴달) recently told GamesRadar in an interview that he expects the game’s world will serve as a foundation for telling a variety of stories. He focused on the possibility of expanding characters and narrative into video content from a game centered on players’ gameplay.

Devsisters also signed a partnership on Oct. 12 with Hollywood studio Big Shot Pictures to produce a CookieRun feature-length animated film. It is targeting a global theatrical release in 2029, the 20th anniversary of the CookieRun IP.

CookieRun has expanded into various genres since the first game was released in 2009. Devsisters said it has secured more than 300 million cumulative users across 248 countries and regions. The United States accounted for 65 percent of global merchandise sales last year, and North America is also the biggest market in total integrated revenue for the CookieRun IP.

Devsisters plans to expand the animation audience based on existing game users and merchandise consumers, and then link that back to interest in the game and related products.

At both companies, overseas specialist firms lead production while the original developers participate in content direction. The structure allows game companies to manage the worlds and IP features while using overseas producers’ expertise.

Still, objectives differ depending on the IP’s stage of growth. Nexon is seen as aiming to develop more recently released hits into long-term franchises, while Devsisters is interpreted as seeking to expand its existing business into the video market by leveraging CookieRun’s awareness and fandom built over 17 years.

◆ Original games grow after video releases; Cyberpunk ties in updates

Game companies’ interest in adaptations stems from the impact on original games, not only profits from films or dramas themselves.

Market research firm Ampere Analysis said monthly active users of the original Fallout game series rose 490 percent after the Amazon Prime Video drama "Fallout" was released in 2024. Of 14 million people whose gameplay became active after the drama’s release, 80 percent were analyzed as first-time users.

A similar effect was confirmed in films. Sensor Tower said mobile in-app purchase revenue for the original game rose 44 percent and console game sales increased 36 percent after "A Minecraft Movie" was released last year. Mobile active users grew 9 percent and console active users rose 41 percent.

Recently, some cases have directly linked video releases with game updates.

Polish game company CD Projekt Red released the animation "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2" on Netflix on Oct. 20. It plans to roll out a free update on Oct. 22 adding related content to the original game "Cyberpunk 2077".

The approach provides new content to turn increased interest from video content into actual gameplay.

Such cases show adaptations could be used not only to secure new users but also to extend the lifespan of existing games and expand consumption of related products.

◆ Adaptation deals do not guarantee success; production and viability are tasks

Expected benefits of adaptation are large, but a game’s awareness and fandom do not guarantee a film or drama will succeed.

A representative case is the game-based film "Borderlands", released in 2024. The Numbers, a box-office information site, said the production cost was about $115 million, but worldwide theatrical revenue was about $32.94 million. That was less than one-third of the production cost.

In South Korea, Smilegate achieved cumulative views of more than 2 billion for the Chinese drama "Chuan Yue Huo Xian", which used the CrossFire IP, but a separate film project it pursued has yet to lead to a release.

Even if characters and worlds gained popularity in games, adaptation is a separate challenge because it requires a story that new audiences can understand and the quality of the video work itself.

Cooperation between Nexon and Chernin Entertainment is currently at the planning stage for film and TV content. In Devsisters’ case, Big Shot Pictures secured an option agreement for rights to adapt CookieRun into a film, but actual production or release has not been confirmed.

Specific terms on how production costs would be shared and how profits would be distributed were not disclosed, making it too early to judge future profitability.

Ultimately, the performance of adaptation projects depends not only on the work’s success but also on what effects it brings to original games and related businesses. The key for Nexon and Devsisters will be whether they can translate releases into tangible results such as user gains and revenue growth.

An industry official said, "Video adaptations of game IP are meaningful in that they can reintroduce existing games and secure new users." The official added, "But since the popularity of the original game does not guarantee success for video content, we need to examine the work’s quality itself and what changes appear in game users and revenue after the video release."