Synergy is something that is talked about quite a lot in the business world, and for good reason. If a company, regardless of what they do, has a product that launches and does well, and then they release another product that they think will do equally as well, if not more, they’ll want to use that new product to help elevate the older product. That way, both benefit, and the company grows as a result. Video game companies do similar things when possible, and Capcom is hoping to do something along those lines with the upcoming Street Fighter movie that’s slated to release next year.
The live-action adaptation has had quite a long road to the big screen, but Capcom is so confident that it’ll do well that they noted in an investors Q&A that they feel it’ll have the same impact on their sales that the recent Netflix Devil May Cry animated series had on its franchise:
“Linking promotional activities for the Devil May Cry series with the release of the anime led to an increase in sales volume for the games, the results of which we believe have proven more effective than had we conducted these promotions independently. However, we anticipate a slowdown in sales for the series during the second quarter and beyond. While it will also depend on the promotional strategies of the video streaming platforms and distributors, we plan to collaborate our marketing efforts to maximize sales opportunities for other titles as well, including the upcoming Street Fighter movie that has been announced.”
On the one hand, this is a good strategy, and it’s one that others have done when certain properties released that highlighted the “wonder” of the game that the adaptations inspired. You might recall a certain CD Projekt Red RPG getting “new life” after a Netflix animated series hit, or how Nintendo saw a spike in sales with games starring Mario after his animated movie blew up the box office. It’s fair that Capcom thinks it can pull off something like that here with its main fighting franchise. But…
…the question here is whether the Street Fighter movie will be quality, because early indications imply that it’s yet another case of just “throwing famous faces into roles and hoping it’ll work.” Plus, they’ve swapped directors and writers a few times, and that’s not giving fans a lot of hope.
Never forget that having a bad adaptation will just make gamers replay the games they already have, or turn people off from trying the title in the first place. So, be careful what you “wish for,” Capcom…
