The Last of Us: Inside episode 5 on HBO Max

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According to new research, many gamers have a list of other video games they want to see turned into either a TV show or film. The most popular game was Call of Duty with over a third of those surveyed saying they wanted to see it turned into a drama of some kind. Call of Duty is a first-person shooter game focusing initially on World War II before branching out into other conflict zones.

The game first launched in 2003 and continues to go strong as one of the biggest video game franchises globally.

Second on the list of video games crying out for an adaptation was Grand Theft Auto (GTA), where players work their way up from the streets and hustle to become a kingpin.

GTA is known for its expansive open world and violence with players becoming criminals with the game existing since 1997.

Third on the list was Minecraft with 20 percent of gamers hoping to see a TV or film version.

Compared to the first two games, Minecraft is a relatively recent phenomenon and allows you to build your own worlds and in some ways is like the video game equivalent of Lego.

As of 2021, Minecraft became the best-selling video game in history with over 238million copies sold since it was released in 2009.

Right behind Minecraft is another newish video game is Fortnite, which is a free-to-play game and has been described as a “Battle Royale game with numerous game modes for every type of game player”.

Within Fortnite you can do everything from watching a music concert to fighting to building an island such is the vast remit of the game.

Fortnite has existed since 2017 and has built up a huge fanbase during this time.

Rounding off the top five of titles gamers would like to see turned into films or TV shows is God of War: Ragnarok with 18 percent hoping for an adaptation.

God of War: Ragnarok came out in 2022 and is the newest of the games on the list, taking its cue from Norse mythology with the protagonist Kratos and his teenage son Atreus.

Given the success of The Last of Us, which has seen a week-by-week increase in viewership, it’s unsurprising there’s a clamour for more video game adaptations.

Episode four of The Last of Us saw 7.5million people tuning in, up from 6.4million the week prior, according to Nielsen and HBO data.

The Last of Us has been so successful, HBO has already renewed the drama for another outing with the first season expected to be up for multiple awards come awards season.

The research was carried out by internet and TV provider TalkTalk with Jonathan Kini, Managing Director of TalkTalk Consumer and Direct Business, exclusively telling Express.co.uk: “The Last of Us looks like it is going to be one of the TV hits of the year, which comes as no surprise to us. Over the past few years TalkTalk has seen several new internet usage records triggered by the release of big video games such as The Last of Us and Call of Duty updates, demonstrating the incredible popularity of online gaming in the UK.

“In fact, stats show that the gaming industry is now worth more than the film and music industries combined!”

Kini went on to say: “The Last of Us built a loyal fanbase as a game, and the TV series has captured what made it so brilliant to play.

“We don’t expect this to be the last gaming franchise adapted for TV and can’t wait to see what the rest of the series has in store.”

He added: “For anyone who hasn’t been able to watch the first four episodes, we are currently offering our TalkTalk TV Hub and NOW Membership deal with 33 percent off, so there has never been a better time to catch up on a series that people cannot stop talking about.”

The Last of Us isn’t the only video game series to have had success, Netflix’s The Witcher has proved a huge hit and is one of the streaming platform’s biggest titles next to The Crown and Stranger Things.

The Witcher will be returning for a third outing which is expected to be coming out later this year and marks Henry Cavill’s last turn as Geralt of Rivia with Liam Hemsworth taking up the mantle after the Superman star stepped down in 2022.

Along with the successes of video game adaptations, there have also been some flops. Most notably, Netflix’s Resident Evil TV series bombed last year and was duly cancelled.

There were hopes the series would help to resurrect the Resident Evil franchise following a series of high successful and cult films, but this didn’t materialise.

Paramount also released its star-studded adaption of Halo last year with the show garnering a mixed reaction from fans and critics alike, holding a 70 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite this, the series has been renewed by Paramount for another outing.

Nonetheless, when video game adaptations are done right, it appears they can be not only highly engaging pieces of drama but also gain mass popularity beyond their already strong status in the game world and reach new people.

The top five most popular game recommendations for TV adaptions were:

• 1. Call of Duty (36 percent)
• 2. Grand Theft Auto (31 percent)
• 3. Minecraft (20 percent)
• 4. Fortnite (18 percent)
• 5. God of War: Ragnarok (18 percent)

The Last of Us airs on HBO and HBO Max in America on Sundays at 9pm EST and on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK on Mondays at 2am and 9pm

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