What Could Be Next for the Stargate Franchise?

It has recently been announced that a brand new Stargate series is moving into production. Commissioned by Amazon MGM, it will reboot the cult franchise after more than a decade

away. Yet with so many different media and gaming genres ticked off its list, what could be next for the Stargate franchise?

The Franchises to Date

Stargate has had three movies released. The first was in 1994, and there followed a huge gap between the next two, which came in 2008. Pockmarked amongst this have been its much more successful television shows, with Stargate SG-1 being the benchmark for many classic sci-fi fans. Add to this a web series and animated show, and the Stargate canon becomes a hard one to define. Few series or movies paid true homage to the latter.

This new commissioning seems to suggest that Stargate is something being looked at as a purely televisual experience. Unless massively successful like the Marvel franchises, or to a lesser extent like the new Peaky Blinders movie, few franchises are building cinema and streaming into one.

Stargates Forays Into Gaming

For those outside the cult world of Stargate, the number of video games using the license may surprise. At least seven console games have been released, ranging from the early isometric Game Boy title to the recent Stargate tactical online game ‘Timekeepers’. However, there is no current news on a forthcoming title, though the new series may spark this.

Many licenses have been adapted for the lucrative iGaming market. This involves making branded slots and casino games, of which Stargate already has one based on the licensed Megaways system. Yet it could go one step further, lending its imagery to Slingo games and others. These are slots and bingo hybrids that already have existing real-world licenses like ‘Deal or No Deal.’ Despite having a range of themes, it is lacking a real sci-fi themed title and could benefit from the inclusion of a Stargate title.

Stargate in the Real World

There are actually three Stargate theme park rides you can enjoy. As they are not at Disney or Universal, they tend to get overlooked. Each resides in one of the various Six Flags parks, based in Kentucky, Illinois, and California. All are simulator based rides.

Now that Amazon and MGM are one, it would not be out of the question to see an Amazon theme park. MGM did have its Grand Adventures Park in Las Vegas. It closed in the year 2000 and never reopened, though it only contained seven rides. This depends on the company assessing the financial viability of a new park in a world that is struggling to get tourists to expensive destinations.

Thus, much of Stargate’s future hinges on the success of the new series. If it fails to capture the wider public’s imagination, it will remain a cult franchise locked in the world of niche games and small theme park rides. Yet, if successful, it could unlock a new chapter for the Stargate franchise.