Borderlands and Deadpool & Wolverine are two of this summer’s biggest movie blockbusters, but they had wildly different outcomes. Kaitlyn and Sam discuss whether Borderlands’ poor performance means anything for gaming’s future in Hollywood and what other adaptations can learn from Deadpool & Wolverine’s hugely successful marketing campaign. Other topics include Krafton acquiring Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks and the pair’s favorite summertime games.

Timecodes: 

00:00:00 – Intro

00:08:04 – Breaking Down Borderlands’ Critical and Commercial Reception

00:25:50 – Why Deadpool & Wolverine’s Marketing Was So Strong

00:42:59 – Krafton Acquires Hi-Fi Rush Developer Tango Gameworks from Xbox

00:49:33 – Read of the Week (Eurogamer’s Summer Gaming Feature)

01:01:38 – Outro

Stories/media discussed:

Variety – Box Office: 'It Ends With Us' Beats Expectations, 'Borderland' Flops 

The Town – 'Deadpool & Wolverine' and Marketing Disney's First R-Rated Marvel Movie 

Variety – 'Deadpool & Wolverine' Crosses $1 Billion at Global Box Office 

Campaign – How these 6 brands are collaborating with ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’

Polygon – Microsoft just gave the Xbox controller a huge ass

GamesIndustry.biz – Krafton acquires Tango Gameworks and Hi-Fi Rush IP from Xbox

Eurogamer – Can video games match the warmth of summer? No, but an Odyssey and a Wildlife Adventure are the next best thing

Follow the podcast on Twitter and YouTube @RealTimeStrats, and email us questions at [email protected]. Follow Kaitlyn and Sam on social media @KaitlynRedWing and @SamScotMosher respectively.