Can the Witcher Win the TV Franchise War?
Television has entered the age of the franchise, where marketing goes way beyond the main series. This all started with Game of Thrones, which became a cultural phenomenon and sparked related computer games, board games, and merchandise to boost its popularity and viewing figures.
Now, there are countless franchises out there, from Star Wars to the Walking Dead. Netflix has gone all in on its Witcher universe, which already has the potential to be the biggest of them all if the series can continue its strong form.
How Does this Modern Franchise Model Work?
Anyone who follows mainstream entertainment is familiar with the modern franchise model. Popular movies and series have essentially become brands, and they spread out across other media and platforms to reach as many people as possible. This can come in the form of merchandise, spinoffs, and most frequently, related games that give players another way to experience the themes of the source material.
The most successful franchises spill out into other industries that attract a lot of attention. For example, many have now been made into online casino games thanks to the incredible reach this sector has. The Walking Dead slot game is one of the most recent examples of this, but there have also been reel-spinning games for shows like Narcos and Rick and Morty. Mobile games are a good way to boost a franchise too, and all of these aforementioned series have representation in the Android and iOS markets.
Witcher Season 2 Gives an Idea of its Scope
Before Netflix released The Witcher in 2019, the franchise was already in a strong position. Aside from the original series of short stories and novels from Andrzej Sapkowski, there are three console games from CD Projekt Red that are widely considered to be among the best games ever made. The third of these titles, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, also led to a collectible card game spinoff, Gwent: The Witcher Card Game.
There were high hopes among loyal Witcher fans for the Netflix series, and these people have not been disappointed. In addition, the show that features Henry Cavill in the lead role has managed to attract viewers who were previously unaware of the source material. The first season was enjoyable but slightly disjointed. The series came into its own in the second season and hinted at the incredible scope that lies ahead. Netflix plans for at least seven seasons of the series and could even go beyond that if it decides to cover some storylines from the games.
There has already been one spinoff to The Witcher, which came in the form of the animated feature, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf. There is now talk of adding more spinoffs to the platform as Netflix seeks to expand its Witcher universe. It wouldn’t be surprising to see more games come about because of this newly found popularity among a greater audience, and the epic fantasy has the potential to be the biggest television franchise of them all.
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