A couple of weeks ago, there were news about Netflix developing a live-action adaptation of Nintendo's Legend of Zelda series.
This bodes well for Nintendo and may help Nintendo in stopping its money drainage. It's no secret that the Nintendo video game console is not as popular as Sony Playstation or XBox One. Nintendo has not had any overwhelming success since the original Wii system back in 2006.
While Nintendo did try to previously license its characters for live adaptation, bringing to mind the critical and commercial disaster that was the 1993 Super Mario Bros movie, this time is different.
For one, Netflix has a record of producing decent shows. Marco Polo isn't as successful as people anticipated, but it is successful enough. House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, and Arrested Development are some of the few Netflix series that command a huge following.
Secondly, the Marvel Cinematic Universe illustrates that a faithful adaptation can translate to massive success.
Nintendo has arguably the most recognizable video game characters in the world. Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Kid Icarus, Samus (of the Metroid franchise), and, of course, Link of the Legend of Zelda franchise. Except for Kid Icarus, these Nintendo characters have brought in hundred of millions of dollars for Nintendo.
A Nintendo Cinematic Universe would bring a lot of money into the coffer and allow Nintendo to continue publishing video games. Bear in mind, Marvel entered bankruptcy in 1996 and that Disney bought it for $4 billions in 2009. Marvel's fortune shifted dramatically in 13 years and it's due to the success of its cinematic universe.
The success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe propelled its current run and high valuation. If Nintendo, with its staple of bankable characters, can execute a similar success, then Nintendo's valuation will also shift dramatically.
Of course, all this depends on Nintendo's ability to create a cinematic universe, something it has little experience with. It's speculative and premature to say that this move will be a major success for Nintendo, but it does mark a remarkable departure from its previous decision to not adapt its franchises following the 1993 disaster of a movie.
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