Sega has started realizing the potential of adapting their franchises. Sonic the Hedgehog pleasantly surprised cinema-goers before the lockdown happened. Now, they even announced they plan on a live-action adaptation of the Yakuza franchise. It looks like they are going to start going through their library of games to find more potential film franchises. My mind then thought about what Sega games I would like to see adapted in the future. There are some franchises that haven’t really returned since the Sega Dreamcast and Nintendo Gamecube era. Perhaps they have a chance to return in an entirely new format.
Skies of Arcadia
Skies of Arcadia: Legends is one of my favorite RPG games. It takes place in a world filled with pirates and adventurers. Unlike classic pirate stories, there are no oceans in Arcadia. Somehow the gravity of this world keeps various islands floating in the sky. So, the fittingly titled sky pirates travel from island to island. The game follows a young member of the Blue Rogues named Vyse. He ends up getting trapped in a story filled with pirate wars, a secret governmental plot, and exploring the history of mythological beasts. It’s a fantastic world that would be a waste not to continue exploring.
It is made for a film adaptation. The character designs are mostly realistic. It’s could work as a unique take on the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Yes, it would be quite effects-heavy with flying ships but it would be a unique visual to capture the audience’s attention. They also aren’t restricted to focusing on Vyse’s story. It could be a continuation of a new generation of pirates that explore the unknown. I’m a big fan of mythology which this game is rich in. Would love to see a flying pirate battle with a Gigas towering over them. It could also work as a great television series with the right budget. Who doesn’t want to see ships fly alongside whales in the sky?
Jet Grind Radio
Who doesn’t love a game with style? Jet Grind Radio, also known as Jet Set Radio, is a cult classic. The story takes place in Tokyo-to where gangs of youths are roaming the streets. It’s a story filled with Turf Wars between graffiti-tagging gans. The game follows Beat’s GGs, which is short for Graffiti Gang. All of this is narrated through the pirate radio station Jet Set Radio. It then becomes a battle between teenagers facing unlikely odds, as the company Rokkaku gets involved. At some point, it even turns into a variation of Faust with Rokkaku’s CEO trying to make a deal with the devil.
The premise alone has quite a promise. It’s an important story to tell especially right now. While a live-action adaptation could be fun, I do believe that this should stick to its cartoon-inspired look. It would work much better as an animated film or series. Plus, it could give them more creative freedom when implementing the wide variety of tracks that range from J-pop, hip hop to acid jazz. Hopefully, they could even get original composer Hideki Naganuma back to continue his work.
Valkyrie Chronicles
I won’t lie, this isn’t an easy franchise to get into. The concept is actually really interesting. It’s a turn-based game where you control various units in an ongoing war. You only have a limited amount of time to move each character around. The story is quite compelling and doesn’t shy away from the sacrifices of war. The only drawback is the gameplay. It can drag out as you move every single unit manually. It still is an interesting game to tackle for fans of turn-based games. Still, there is a lot here that would lend itself to being adapted in live-action.
At its core, this is a story about war. The weapons are strongly inspired by steampunk with some fantasy elements. It lends itself to a Game of Thrones-style story that spans an ongoing conflict throughout Europa. We follow a group of a small brigade that is trying to make their way towards the capital. This militia uncovers the true plans of the East Europan Imperial Alliance and tries to stop it before more lives are lost in this neverending conflict.
Many More Options
Of course, Sega has so many more franchises they could adapt. Golden Axe as a Conan-inspired epic. They could embrace science-fiction fantasy with Phantasy Star. Hell, they could even make a cartoon based on NiGHTS. The three I mentioned above are franchises that I hold dear. I still have hopes that Skies of Arcadia or Jet Set Radio will finally make a return in some form. It will be interesting to see what other franchises they may already have planned to adapt to the silver screen. We will see if Sega will continue to expand, or if they will first wait to see how Yakuza and the Sonic the Hedgehog film perform.
Source: Digital Spy
