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The games industry is missing out on millions of pounds in revenue due to the absence of a licensed Twilight video game.
Both the original books by author Stephenie Meyer and the subsequent film releases from Summit Entertainment have become a worldwide phenomenon.
With the franchise yet to penetrate the games market, Games Investor Consulting analyst Nick Gibson has told MCV that publishers are missing out one of the most lucrative properties available.
Given how hot a property it is, Twilight could easily present a seven-figure exploitation opportunity, especially if publishers look at taking it beyond retail gaming and considers network gaming,” he told us.
A Twilight-themed Scene It? game from Konami hits shelves today (Friday, March 19th).
However, aside from this, there has been no word of a more traditional Twilight game – something Gibson believes could be due to a lack of knowledge among those who own the property.
It may well be that the rights holders aren’t aware of the potential benefits as they haven’t explored the games market before,” he said.
It’s not unheard of – although it is increasingly unusual in this day and age.”
The analyst predicts that a Twilight game would have to be targeted carefully in order to be successful, rather than rolled out to the typical gaming audience. But he claims there is still a huge potential market out there.
Given the demographic Twilight appeals to, there probably isn’t a huge crossover between them and Xbox 360 or PS3 fans,” said Gibson.
The brand’s appeal could actually extend significantly beyond the expected teen girl market and into the 20- to 30-year-old female market, which has a very substantial crossover into gaming.
There’s a greater resonance with Wii and DS users.”
Public interest in Twilight is unlikely to dissipate any time soon, meaning the potential for a game remains high.
The newest DVD, New Moon, is due to hit shelves on March 22nd, while the third film in the series, Eclipse, is set to arrive on the silver screen this year. With a fourth film yet to come, there is still plenty of opportunity left for publishers.
