Throughout the course of the earliest origins of video games, comic book characters have long been a real focal point for developers due to their immense levels of popularity. As the gaming industry continues to rise with more and more possibilities emerging as a result of the latest developments in both hardware and software, the market is expected to be worth over $90 billion by 2020 with comic-based releases likely to continue being a prevalent genre in the gaming world.
From the very beginning of the video game market, releases based around comic book characters have always been a success. In 1992, Sega released their beat ”˜em up style Batman Returns and Superman games, whilst one year later, in 1993, Acclaim Studios Manchester developed and released Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage for both the Sega Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis. As time progressed and following the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation 1 hitting the shelves in 1996 and 1994, respectively, developers had greater opportunities to delve into and expand the comic book character market and bring it to life in the form of video games.
The longevity and improvements made in both the PlayStation 2 and the original Xbox upon their availability in the early 2000’s created a rise in the number of comic-based video games coming to fruition. Catwoman was released across all platforms in July of 2004, whilst other popular titles such as Batman Begins, Iron Man, Justice League Heroes, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2, along with many others, sought to bring the thrill and entertainment of popular comic books into a different light and onto a modern platform. Moreover, the vast sum of titles being made available for purchase throughout the 2000’s only heightened the demand and interest in future comic-based video game releases.
As PlayStation, Xbox, PCÂ and other platforms have continued to grow at a fast rate, the demand for better quality video games has also increased. Rocksteady Studios, along with others, developed the Batman Arkham series across all of the latest platforms over recent years, whilst in 2018, Marvel“s Spider-Man for PlayStation 4 sold a record 3.3 million copies in the first three days of its release. Additionally, the latest Spider-Man title was pre-ordered by one million gamers.
“5 Comic Book Characters That Deserve The“ (CC BY 2.0) by BagoGames
Whilst comic book characters have greatly affected the traditional gaming world, their impact stretches far beyond what may have been expected. Due to advertising becoming ever important in the digital era, many industries, such as the online casino gaming sector, have begun basing many of their games on comic-like characters whilst also offering various incentive-based opportunities in attempts to broaden their customer base. Furthermore, many online casino platforms have been influenced by the role of leading female protagonists which are often central to comic books and their video game expansions, with Karamba“s game Soul Queen being a prime example of this. With many games and bonuses on offer that are likely to appeal to comic book fans in the online casino industry, those with an interest in comics, and, more crucially, their characters, should give it a go and find the right casino bonus for you.
As the Avengers game is set to be latest release in the genre in 2020, it remains unequivocally apparent that comic book characters will continue to a focal point for developers across all platforms. Ultimately, it is clear that the comic book industry not only has its roots in the origins of the video game world, but is likely to be central to its future development.
*Featured Pic: “Comic Books“ (CC BY 2.0) by Sam Howzit
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