Second biggest HBO launch in over a decade. Over 18M views on its first ep. Nightmares for days (that terrifying clicking sound).

The success of The Last of Us is shining a light on Sony (NYSE:SONY) — who co-produced the series. Now they’re looking to translate that success into other films…

There’s lots of money in gaming. It’s a market that was worth $192.7B in 2021 — double that of filmed entertainment ($99.7B). Time to merge the two.

Many of today’s best-selling games have strong storytelling, and Hollywood is increasingly looking at video games for source material.

The two work well together. Game adaptations bring an existing audience — and films often raise game revenue. Win-win.

• Game sales for The Last of Us jumped 238% after the TV show’s debut.
• League of Legends players jumped 30% after the debut of Arcane.

Game publishers have taken action in recent years:

• Sony set up PlayStation Productions in 2019 to bring its franchises to the big screen.
• Activision Blizzard launched a film and TV studio in 2015.
• Nintendo’s Mario movie is coming — and it has plans to release more based on its IP.

The Average Joe: In the past five years,SONY

’s return has doubled the S&P 500 — despite falling over 20% from its 2021 peak. The company has been hit by declining electronic and gaming sales after a COVID surge.

With 35% of its sales from gaming and pictures, Sony is making a smart strategic move. But don’t show up to the stock market lookin’ for a free lunch. This is not an Arby’s.

Follow us long enough, and you’ll know there are two things we love. A bull market and Nick Offerman Ron Swanson.