Console culture; how gaming is shaping the future of entertainment
From the table top, to the small screen and beyond, gaming has become the centre of popular culture, with huge numbers of dedicated fans. Steve Ford, SVP Advertising at ESL FACEIT Group, asks what brands can learn from the kings of the console.
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Once relegated to the corner of high streets, where the less mainstream kids gathered, Warhammer was the domain of a niche group of enthusiasts.
Fast forward 40 years and it’s transformed into a global powerhouse, with Amazon securing the rights to bring its expansive fantasy universe to life through films and a TV series. And Warhammer isn’t alone in its resurgence — many other legacy gaming properties have found new life on the big and small screens.
Gaming franchises offer powerful lessons in building loyalty, fostering communities and bridging genres and formats.
At a time when brands grapple with capturing the attention of an increasingly elusive and selective audience, these gaming franchises offer powerful lessons in building loyalty, fostering communities and bridging genres and formats.
Above: Warhammer is no longer a niche pastime, but a burgeoning game, soon to become a TV show on Amazon Prime.
Shifting power
The power dynamics in entertainment are undergoing a seismic shift. Once considered a niche subculture, gaming has now taken a central role in shaping popular media. The latest State of Gaming report reveals that the sector’s value has risen to £141.7bn, greater than the music and film industries combined.
Once considered a niche subculture, gaming has now taken a central role in shaping popular media.
Historically, movies have always dominated the entertainment space, with games often relegated to a secondary role, add-ons to further monetise successful films, sometimes at the cost of the player experience. Take Atari’s game version of E.T., a notorious commercial failure, as a cautionary tale of how poorly translated ventures could backfire.
But today, the script is flipping. The film industry has faced significant headwinds in recent years, from pandemic-induced production halts to labour strikes, coupled with fierce competition from streaming platforms. Attention is also shifting. Even as streaming wars rage, audiences are simply watching less TV of any kind.
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Above: Video games have come a long way since the infamous tie-in game for E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, which was a huge flop.
Meanwhile, gaming soars. With over 3.2 billion players worldwide, the medium has evolved into a cultural and economic juggernaut. And it’s not just about playing — gaming has cultivated a vast audience of spectators. By 2025, esports viewership is expected to surpass 640.8 million, which includes 318.1 million dedicated fans tuning in to watch others play.
As traditional entertainment struggles to adapt, gaming stands poised to redefine how stories are told, shared, and consumed.
Billion dollar business
This transformation has been years in the making, underscored by the increasing value of gaming-related deals.For instance, Call of Duty maker, Activision Blizzard, acquired Candy Crush from its creator King in a $5.9 billion deal in 2015. This amount is a testament to the growing influence of gaming, overshadowing many acquisitions of traditional entertainment properties, such as Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion in 2012.
As traditional entertainment struggles to adapt, gaming stands poised to redefine how stories are told, shared, and consumed.
Other deals, such as Amazon’s acquisition of streaming platform Twitch for $970 million in 2014, have further signposted these developments, demonstrating gaming’s influence and staying power.
Above: Amazon paid $970m to acquire Twitch, the video game streaming platform.
Gaming boasts a longevity that TV and film producers envy, thanks to its stable of legacy IPs with cross-generational appeal, where the love for the characters and narratives is passed from parents to children, sibling to sibling. Franchises like Sonic the Hedgehog, League of Legends, Tomb Raider and World of Warcraft command dedicated fan bases that span decades.
Today, streamer services and brands are eager to tap into these cultural touchstones because they cultivate the kind of loyalty and brand love that are increasingly difficult to build from scratch.
Reinventing storytelling
In recent years, gaming has emerged as a powerful driver of storytelling and audience engagement that rivals traditional entertainment. No longer reliant on movies for inspiration, the gaming industry creates narratives so compelling they’ve earned their own accolades, with the likes of BAFTA Games Awards and The Games Awards having categories for the best gaming narrative.
Unlike passive TV viewing, gaming offers an active, participatory experience.
Many of these rich, immersive stories have made the leap to the big screen, with the likes of Sonic the Hedgehog, Tomb Raider, The Last of Us, and The Witcher captivating audiences across mediums.
Unlike passive TV viewing, gaming offers an active, participatory experience. Players build worlds, fight battles and immerse themselves, forging deeper emotional connections with the franchise as well as the players they collaborate with, fostering a unique sense of community. No wonder streaming services like Amazon continue to double down on gaming
Above: "Franchises like Sonic the Hedgehog, League of Legends, Tomb Raider and World of Warcraft command dedicated fan bases that span decades."
Gaming brings in new audiences and opens up new opportunities for advertisers to reach consumers they would otherwise struggle to connect with, bridging the gap between audience engagement and brand loyalty.
As beloved gaming IPs expand into films and TV, they open up new avenues for brand collaborations, advertising and sponsorships, and a chance to continue to grow and evolve the IP also off screen.
From games to the big screen
Gaming's influence on entertainment is undeniable — it revitalises culture in ways no other sector can match. Rather than relying on endless reboots of tired IPs, there’s a vast opportunity for iconic gaming heroes to make their TV debuts, delighting both longtime fans and newcomers.
Gaming isn’t just shaping the future — it is the future.
As legacy franchises like Warhammer transition to the screen, they showcase the lasting power of these stories and the passionate communities that sustain them. In an era where forging meaningful connections with audiences is increasingly challenging, gaming offers streamers, brands and advertisers a unique path to an engaged fanbase — provided the adaptations honour and enhance the original experiences.
When it comes to entertainment, gaming isn’t just shaping the future — it is the future.
