In an effort to duplicate the popularity of “Super Mario Bros.,” Sega announced on Wednesday that one of its best-selling games, “Shinobi,” will be adapted into a motion picture in a collaborative effort with Universal Pictures.
The Japanese game developer said it had “started the development of a film production” with the Hollywood powerhouse, but it did not specify a target date for release.
“Shinobi” was originally created for Japanese arcades in 1987 and features a ninja character who fights to stop a criminal organisation that kidnaps child ninjas.
It is the latest effort to cash in on a video-game adaptation craze after “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” became the second-highest grossing film of 2023, following a 2020 adaptation of Sega’s “Sonic the Hedgehog”.
Last month, Electronic Arts confirmed that a much-rumoured movie based on its life-simulation gaming series “The Sims” will be developed by Amazon MGM Studios.
“Shinobi is one of Sega’s most popular series worldwide, along with Sonic the Hedgehog,” Sega said on Wednesday.
The movie will be directed by Sam Hargrave, whose first feature film was the 2020 Netflix movie “Extraction” starring Chris Hemsworth.
Sega stated that the firms are hoping for similar box office success to “Super Mario Bros.” with the “Shinobi” film.
Nintendo revealed in March that the Italian plumber with the red cap will return to the big screen in 2026.
Together with Sony, the company that makes the competing PlayStation system, Nintendo is producing a live-action movie based on the wildly popular “The Legend of Zelda” franchise.
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