The Increasing Influence of Anime in the West Could Boost its Gaming Appeal Further Posted Sep 27, 2021

Anime has always been a massive part of the gaming industry, thanks to many of the world’s leading consoles and developers having originated in Japan. This has helped the West gain an awareness and foster a passion for the quintessentially Japanese cartoon style. Now, its influence is growing, with an increasing number of anime-like versions of western offerings. This could help to boost its appeal in the world of gaming even more.

Anime is Already Widespread in Gaming

There are already plenty of mainstream anime offerings in gaming, with well-known franchises like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Valkyrie Chronicles all up there with some of the most-played games of all time. The initial buzz around the artform began on consoles but spread out onto mobile and casino offerings as well.

Now, there are plenty of anime games for people who enjoy playing on a mobile device. For instance, the slots genre at online casinos is awash with games that take inspiration from anime and Japanese culture. Ninja Ways, Legend of the 5 Ninjas, and Koi Princess are all top games at Incredible Spins, one of the highest-rated new UK casinos. Players who opt to spin the reels on these games there can make use of a generous welcome bonus, too, in order to try some of the titles.

It’s clear that anime has already permeated the gaming industry considerably, but there is scope for it to dominate further. In the top ten best-selling games franchises of all time, only three of them are from the anime genre. This could easily be improved upon if the Japanese cartoons continue to attract new fans in the years ahead.

Will There be More Anime Adaptations of Western Offerings?

Part of the reason why anime has been able to gain such a mass number of followers online has been to do with its presence in other types of media. Ever since the late 1980s, there have been popular anime cartoons in the west. Now, production companies are often coming up with anime twists on existing media to attract more viewers.

A recent example of this is The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, which is an anime-inspired twist on the popular Netflix series. The Henry Cavill fantasy was met with widespread approval, and the streaming service opted to follow up on that success by expanding the franchise. The cartoon from Kwang Il Han was met with a hugely positive response, with fans crying out for other offerings.

With this Witcher spinoff becoming such a sensation, it could lead to a new trend of anime versions of other media. This, in turn, could inspire a greater number of games that are based on them. Netflix has upped its anime content in recent times with the likes of My Hero Academia and Godzilla: The Planet Eater, and it may influence other streaming platforms to go down the same route.

Anime lends itself perfectly to the franchise model, with games and television series often going hand in hand. As anime’s influence infiltrates the western entertainment industry further, it would be wise to expect more games to be released.