So! As I'm sure most of you know, Nintendo has recently made a lot of noise about licensing it's IP to greater effect in the near future. A lot of people, myself included, are looking forward to seeing what this will entail, especially if the rumours of a film being produced in the next couple of years holds true. Nintendo have a wealth of fantastic IP just sitting around doing nothing, which they seem to have woken up to. The possibilities are massive. An epic LOTR style Zelda film? A creepy sci-fi horror film based on Metroid? Hell, Miyamoto has already dipped his toes in creating some short Pikmin films, and I feel like with a proper push the Pikmin characters could resonate with children in much the same way the Minions craze has.
But that's just films! Animated kid's TV shows based on video game IP have been around almost as long as games themselves have, and are a great way to reach out to a wider audience and educate people about your IP. I'm sure everyone here has been a fan of a video game based cartoon at one point or another. The Super Mario Bros Super Show, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Pokémon, Kirby: Right Back At Ya!, Megaman NT Warrior, Sonic Boom, Yokai Watch. Some have seen more success than others, but overall they're a fun way to engage with the younger audience and rake in those all important game sales.
With recent news about a new Megaman cartoon coming soon, it got me thinking about which of Nintendo's IP's would suit the kids TV format best. Mario, Kirby, Donkey Kong, and Pokémon have all had their shot, and with the exception of the latter, kind of fell flat. Sometimes, it feels like video game companies have a bit of disconnect with their target audience. Time will tell, but this new Megaman cartoon doesn't sound like anything to get too excited over either. Sonic Boom, from what I've heard, has been a reasonable success, but the tie in games have sucked which has left that show picking up the pieces.
So let's take a look at what kids are actually watching these days then, and get a better idea of what it takes to be a successful show! Adventure time regularly pulls in more than a million viewers per episode, and at it's peak (during season premiers etc) sometimes even as much as 3 million! Steven Universe regularly pulls in between 1 and 2 million viewers per episode. Over the Garden Wall, a short mini series, still gained between 1 and 2 million viewers per episode. Gravity Falls pulled in around 2.5 million viewers with it's finale, but at it's peak more than 4 million people were watching that show! That's a lot of people! And that's a lot of potential game sales, if Nintendo play their cards right.
What do these shows have in common with each other? They all share a similar style of off-beat humour that has risen in popularity over the last few years. Shows such as Dexters Laboratory, Powerpuff Girls, Ed Edd and Eddy etc may have been the kings of cartoons a decade ago, but these recent shows are cut from a different cloth. These are stories about kids with magical destinies and adventures. They're weird and wonderful and surprising for all the right reasons. They're subverting long established tropes. They sometimes make no sense at all, with strange monsters and enemies and storylines. And then they sometimes hit you right in the feels, with big emotional twists and turns. Where cartoons once swore by the old "Monster of the week" formula, these shows have begun exploring intricate story arcs and character development. And they're being suitably rewarded for it.
So what Nintendo IP could be best suited for a new show of this ilk?
Earthbound. Think about it for a second.
You have a perfect cast of children setting out for a grand adventure in Ness, Paula, Jeff and Poo. All very different characters with equally interesting backstories. Ness is a kid who is told of his greater destiny by a dying bug that landed in a comet in his backyard. Paula is a powerful telekinetic who is kidnapped by a strange cult. Jeff is a whizz kid who has been left behind in a boarding school by his strange father, and through events discovers his destiny and has to leave his best friend Tony behind. Poo is a prince from a far off land, who decides to join Ness after a powerful vision. Ness calling his dad from a pay phone just to check in every now and then, to let him know he's safe is a really powerful moment in the games. There's plenty of opportunity for some really funny and emotional episodes in there already. And that's before we even get to the rest of the cast.
You have a great antagonist with a complicated backstory in Pokey, who has no friends and just wants to be accepted, but is ultimately taken in by Giygas, a powerful alien presence with mysterious origins. Then there's some amazingly strange and wonderful enemies like Master Belch, the Starmen, Zombies, Cavemen, Hippies, Street Gangs and robots, to name a few. Apple Kid, the Runaway Five, Dr Andonuts, Dungeon Man, Mr Saturn. Lots and lots of interesting side characters in which to base episodes around.
And settings! Eagleland has a variety of visually interesting locations to take advantage of. From the quiet Americana setting of Onett, to the bustling Fourside and it's strange dark alternative dimension Moonside. You have the deserts of Scaraba to the snowy terrain of Winters. And don't forget Magicant!
Earthbound has been known for years for its off-beat humour, which I think would translate perfectly to a TV show in this style. There is so much material in that game from which to draw from.
And the best thing is, the game is still a relatively obscure hidden gem. You don't need to follow the game all the games plot points to make something wonderful, and making changes to the characters and story isn't likely to piss anyone off. In fact, I think any Earthbound fan would be delighted to just see the franchise get some recognition.
So I've kind of ran out of steam a little bit. Sorry for the wall of text, but imagining what could be got me a little excited. I'm interesting to know what people think of such a concept!
But that's just films! Animated kid's TV shows based on video game IP have been around almost as long as games themselves have, and are a great way to reach out to a wider audience and educate people about your IP. I'm sure everyone here has been a fan of a video game based cartoon at one point or another. The Super Mario Bros Super Show, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Pokémon, Kirby: Right Back At Ya!, Megaman NT Warrior, Sonic Boom, Yokai Watch. Some have seen more success than others, but overall they're a fun way to engage with the younger audience and rake in those all important game sales.
With recent news about a new Megaman cartoon coming soon, it got me thinking about which of Nintendo's IP's would suit the kids TV format best. Mario, Kirby, Donkey Kong, and Pokémon have all had their shot, and with the exception of the latter, kind of fell flat. Sometimes, it feels like video game companies have a bit of disconnect with their target audience. Time will tell, but this new Megaman cartoon doesn't sound like anything to get too excited over either. Sonic Boom, from what I've heard, has been a reasonable success, but the tie in games have sucked which has left that show picking up the pieces.
So let's take a look at what kids are actually watching these days then, and get a better idea of what it takes to be a successful show! Adventure time regularly pulls in more than a million viewers per episode, and at it's peak (during season premiers etc) sometimes even as much as 3 million! Steven Universe regularly pulls in between 1 and 2 million viewers per episode. Over the Garden Wall, a short mini series, still gained between 1 and 2 million viewers per episode. Gravity Falls pulled in around 2.5 million viewers with it's finale, but at it's peak more than 4 million people were watching that show! That's a lot of people! And that's a lot of potential game sales, if Nintendo play their cards right.
What do these shows have in common with each other? They all share a similar style of off-beat humour that has risen in popularity over the last few years. Shows such as Dexters Laboratory, Powerpuff Girls, Ed Edd and Eddy etc may have been the kings of cartoons a decade ago, but these recent shows are cut from a different cloth. These are stories about kids with magical destinies and adventures. They're weird and wonderful and surprising for all the right reasons. They're subverting long established tropes. They sometimes make no sense at all, with strange monsters and enemies and storylines. And then they sometimes hit you right in the feels, with big emotional twists and turns. Where cartoons once swore by the old "Monster of the week" formula, these shows have begun exploring intricate story arcs and character development. And they're being suitably rewarded for it.
So what Nintendo IP could be best suited for a new show of this ilk?
Earthbound. Think about it for a second.
You have a perfect cast of children setting out for a grand adventure in Ness, Paula, Jeff and Poo. All very different characters with equally interesting backstories. Ness is a kid who is told of his greater destiny by a dying bug that landed in a comet in his backyard. Paula is a powerful telekinetic who is kidnapped by a strange cult. Jeff is a whizz kid who has been left behind in a boarding school by his strange father, and through events discovers his destiny and has to leave his best friend Tony behind. Poo is a prince from a far off land, who decides to join Ness after a powerful vision. Ness calling his dad from a pay phone just to check in every now and then, to let him know he's safe is a really powerful moment in the games. There's plenty of opportunity for some really funny and emotional episodes in there already. And that's before we even get to the rest of the cast.
You have a great antagonist with a complicated backstory in Pokey, who has no friends and just wants to be accepted, but is ultimately taken in by Giygas, a powerful alien presence with mysterious origins. Then there's some amazingly strange and wonderful enemies like Master Belch, the Starmen, Zombies, Cavemen, Hippies, Street Gangs and robots, to name a few. Apple Kid, the Runaway Five, Dr Andonuts, Dungeon Man, Mr Saturn. Lots and lots of interesting side characters in which to base episodes around.
And settings! Eagleland has a variety of visually interesting locations to take advantage of. From the quiet Americana setting of Onett, to the bustling Fourside and it's strange dark alternative dimension Moonside. You have the deserts of Scaraba to the snowy terrain of Winters. And don't forget Magicant!
Earthbound has been known for years for its off-beat humour, which I think would translate perfectly to a TV show in this style. There is so much material in that game from which to draw from.
And the best thing is, the game is still a relatively obscure hidden gem. You don't need to follow the game all the games plot points to make something wonderful, and making changes to the characters and story isn't likely to piss anyone off. In fact, I think any Earthbound fan would be delighted to just see the franchise get some recognition.
So I've kind of ran out of steam a little bit. Sorry for the wall of text, but imagining what could be got me a little excited. I'm interesting to know what people think of such a concept!
