Licensed game

Alicensed gameis avideo gamedeveloped as atie-infor afranchisein a different media format, such as abook,filmortelevision show.Like other types of tie-ins, they are generally intended as a form ofcross-promotionin order to generate additional revenue and visibility. The poor quality of licensed games, which were rushed to meet unrealistic deadlines, nearly caused the collapse of thevideo game industryduring thevideo game crash of 1983,and they have historically been regarded as inferior to original IPs. Nevertheless, there are numerous examples of well-regarded licensed games, and the rise of video games as a cultural force in their own right have resulted in tie-in titles of significantly higher production values and quality.

History

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial(1982), a licensed game and notorious commercial failure, was one of numerous games in theAtari video game burial.

Licensed games were common since the very start of the video game industry, but were rarely a hallmark of a high-quality product. For decades, games based on a non-sports-related license were poor commercial performers, and many, such asSuperman 64,were considered some of theworst games of all time.Most of the licenses were movie licenses, tied to big-budget films that were due to release in a much shorter time than a quality video game needed to develop, causing the game's development to be rushed to meet the film's release, and resulting in numerous bugs andglitchesin the final product.Notably, the 1982E.T. the Extra-Terrestrialwas rushed to release in five weeks to meet theChristmas shopping season,becoming one of the largest commercial failures ever and causing the downfall ofAtari.Atari's failure triggered the video game crash of 1983, until theNintendo Entertainment Systemrevitalized the industry.Alternatively, the game released long after the movie and was unable to profit from the movie's release hype, also causing poor sales.

Initially, studios refused to divulge many details about their films to game developers, even going so far as to prevent them from reading the script more than once.Studios interfered heavily with a game's development, such as requesting numerous minor changes to appease actors.Over time, communication increased between movie studios and game developers. Studios send over clips and plot outlines to ensure the game meshes properly with the film it is based on, as well as allowing developers to use the same actors and soundtrack.Studios became less worried about matching a game's release date to a certain film's as brand strategies became larger in scope, more about keeping a franchise front-of-mind for audiences, allowing developers to work at their own pace, usually slower than a film's.

In the modern day, fewer AAA games are licensed titles, and the industry shifted towards creating original IP. Licensed games are more commonly onmobile platformsand oriented towards a casual audience, with a low development budget and time. Games created in months can more easily meet the deadlines for a movie marketing campaign.Genres such asidle gamesare simple to play for a wide array of fans, resulting in high revenue.

Someindie gameshave also started becoming licensed tie-ins. Examples includeJohn Wick Hex,a turn-based strategy game developed byMike Bithellafter he pitched the idea toLionsgate.

Notable examples

DuckTales,a 1989platformerand one ofDisney's earliest licensed games, received critical renown for its unique gameplay, and is known as one of the best NES games. Aspects lauded by fans include itspogo stickability,non-linearity,and its soundtrack, composed byCapcom's Yoshihiro Sakaguchi, including its well-known Moon theme.

GoldenEye 007,a 1997Nintendo 64first-person shooterbased on thefilm of the same name,is considered one of thebest video games of all time,and marked a significant change in the genre towards more cinematic games. It used open level design based on exact blueprints and photos of thefilm sets,allowing players to explore the film's spaces at their own leisure. Allowing players to "inhabit" the role ofJames Bondand complete levels using their own gameplay style, it let them control an expanded version of the movie.The A.V. Clubcalled it an "anomaly" in an "era when licensed games were almost universally terrible".

TheBatman: Arkhamaction-adventureseries, beginning in 2009 withArkham Asylum,attained commercial success, with the 2011Arkham Citybecoming the single most critically acclaimed superhero game,also being declared the best licensed game ever made byGame Informerupon its release. Particular aspects that were singled out by reviewers include the games' combat against multiple enemies, Batman's ability to glide through the game's world, and its Detective Vision system.

The Walking Dead,a 2012 episodicadventure gameseries byTelltale Games,told a standalone story in the established fictional world ofThe Walking Dead.It was praised for its emphasis on player choice and its more story-driven gameplay than a typicalzombie game,achieving widespread commercial success and becoming a widely cited example of successfultransmedia storytelling,despite the company's later collapse.

See also

• List of video games based on films
• List of video games based on anime or manga
• List of video games based on comics