Video game TV adaptations boost player numbers 140% on average, says new report

TV adaptations of video games drive an average player growth of almost 140%, according to new research by Ampere Analysis.

The UK analytics firm reported its findings on September 16, 2025, revealing that video game TV spin-offs deliver a more substantial boost to franchises than film adaptations.

Ampere’s Games Analytics title activity data showed that the average uplift in players following the release of a TV adaptation is 203%, compared to the 48% uplift seen with movie adaptations.

Amazon Prime’s Fallout and HBO’s The Last of Us are prime examples of the boost a TV spin-off can provide to a game franchise.

Ampere Analysis found that the release of the Fallout TV show in April 2024, which reached 100 million viewers worldwide in six months, boosted the franchise’s monthly active users by 490%, with 80% of the 14 million “activated players” playing the series for the first time.

According to the analytics firm, by contrast, Fallout 76’s June and December updates increased monthly active users by an average of 17%.

In May, Sensor Tower reported that daily active users were 225% higher for Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 in the weeks following the show’s premiere, while Fallout Shelter saw a 77% rise.

Sales also saw a boost. Fallout 3 sales rose 125%, Fallout 4 saw a 410% increase, and in-app purchases for Fallout Shelter jumped 150%.

The second season of the Fallout TV show is due to release this December.

The Last of Us franchise has also benefited greatly from its TV adaptation, which debuted in January 2023 to 4.7 million viewers.

Ampere Analysis found that, across the HBO show’s two seasons, The Last of Us’ franchise engagement increased by an average of 150%.

“Media adaptations are superchargers for the player bases of gaming franchises”

Ricardo Parsons, Ampere Analysis

By comparison, the release of The Last of Us Part 2 remastered for PS5 in January 2024 and the addition of The Last of Us Part 1 to the PS Plus catalogue increased monthly users by 70% and 29%, respectively.

Ampere Analysis noted that “Sony kept The Last of Us franchise active through a strategy of remasters and wider availability, helping retain 20% of players 180 days after the game’s peak engagement.”

Sensor Tower’s report previously found that daily active users for The Last of Us Part 1 and Part 2 rose 40% following the show’s season two premiere in April 2025.

The Last of Us TV show has been renewed for season three, but Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann has stepped down as co-showrunner to focus on other projects. He will, however, help “shepherd” the series.

Ampere Analysis’s research also found that shows with “modest popularity” also see a boost from TV spin-offs.

Netflix’s Devil May Cry series, which premiered in April 2025, boosted player numbers by 358% compared to the previous month, the findings show.

The analytics firm also noted that “perennially popular games” like Minecraft can also “grow” from media adaptations, with research finding that Minecraft’s monthly active users increased 30% with the release of A Minecraft Movie in April 2025, 54% of which were lapsed players.

“Media adaptations are superchargers for the player bases of gaming franchises,” said Ricardo Parsons, analyst at Ampere Analysis. “They attract new audiences at scale, from first-time players diving into Fallout’s wasteland to lapsed gamers returning to Minecraft.

“And unlike DLC or remasters, hit adaptations showcase these stories to a wider audience, extending their reach.

“With adaptations of Call of Duty, Life is Strange, and Dark Deception all announced recently, Ampere expects this trend to continue – creating win-wins for publishers seeking new players and studios hungry for ready-made fanbases.”