> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.matthewbogart.net/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The Legacy of The Game in Succession's Iconic Opening Sequence - URL: https://www.matthewbogart.net/2023/04/07/the-legacy-of-the-game-in-successions-iconic-opening-sequence/ - Published: 2023-04-07T01:00:08.000Z - Updated: 2026-01-18T20:45:26.000Z - Author: Matthew Bogart - Tags: # Succession, TV, #post-card-pearl, Creative Philosophy There are so many things that fascinate me about the opening credits to HBOs *Succession*. The fact that it changes from season to season, slowly ditching home footage that looks 70s-esque in favor of more VHS-style treatments. That incredible shot of children being thrown about on the back of an elephant that's *such* a good visual metaphor for the series. But most interesting to me is how it seemingly wears its influence on its sleeve. It's a *lot* like the opening credits to the 1997 David Fincher movie [*The Game*](https://letterboxd.com/film/the-game/?ref=matthewbogart.net)*.* Let's compare! There's the opening shot, which is virtually identical for both the show and the movie. (although *Succession* changed this shot in later seasons to one that shows all four of Logan's kids.) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9c/0c/9c0c3ed1-6073-42fe-82e4-7701884d4597/content/images/2023/04/CleanShot-2023-04-06-at-16.41.07.gif) The Game ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9c/0c/9c0c3ed1-6073-42fe-82e4-7701884d4597/content/images/2023/04/CleanShot-2023-04-06-at-16.40.41.gif) Succession There's mom watching her distant husband wander off from the family. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9c/0c/9c0c3ed1-6073-42fe-82e4-7701884d4597/content/images/2023/04/CleanShot-2023-04-06-at-16.26.23.gif) The Game ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9c/0c/9c0c3ed1-6073-42fe-82e4-7701884d4597/content/images/2023/04/CleanShot-2023-04-06-at-16.12.07.gif) Succession There are the servants bringing trays of food out to tents in the lawn. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9c/0c/9c0c3ed1-6073-42fe-82e4-7701884d4597/content/images/2023/04/CleanShot-2023-04-06-at-16.16.33.gif) The Game ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9c/0c/9c0c3ed1-6073-42fe-82e4-7701884d4597/content/images/2023/04/CleanShot-2023-04-06-at-16.21.42.gif) Succession There's dads silhouette peering through the curtains of a brightly lit window. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9c/0c/9c0c3ed1-6073-42fe-82e4-7701884d4597/content/images/2023/04/CleanShot-2023-04-06-at-16.24.27.gif) The Game ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9c/0c/9c0c3ed1-6073-42fe-82e4-7701884d4597/content/images/2023/04/CleanShot-2023-04-06-at-16.23.59.gif) Succession There are the kids playing in the grass, all wearing white, and Dad walking through the large green yard surrounded by tall trees. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9c/0c/9c0c3ed1-6073-42fe-82e4-7701884d4597/content/images/2023/04/CleanShot-2023-04-06-at-16.28.51.gif) The Game ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9c/0c/9c0c3ed1-6073-42fe-82e4-7701884d4597/content/images/2023/04/CleanShot-2023-04-06-at-16.31.51.gif) Succession ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9c/0c/9c0c3ed1-6073-42fe-82e4-7701884d4597/content/images/2023/04/CleanShot-2023-04-06-at-16.30.56.gif) Succession There are siblings in their Sunday best posing for the camera in the garden. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9c/0c/9c0c3ed1-6073-42fe-82e4-7701884d4597/content/images/2023/04/CleanShot-2023-04-06-at-16.47.04.gif) The Game ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9c/0c/9c0c3ed1-6073-42fe-82e4-7701884d4597/content/images/2023/04/CleanShot-2023-04-06-at-16.44.35.gif) Succession And then, *both* sequences end by returning to the opening shot and having dad walk off, leaving the son alone in the frame. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9c/0c/9c0c3ed1-6073-42fe-82e4-7701884d4597/content/images/2023/04/CleanShot-2023-04-06-at-16.36.35.gif) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/9c/0c/9c0c3ed1-6073-42fe-82e4-7701884d4597/content/images/2023/04/CleanShot-2023-04-06-at-16.34.46.gif) Succession Considering all of that, I thought I'd see if I could re-create the opening titles of *Succession* using *nothing but* footage from *The Game.* The *Succession* credits change slightly from season to season, mostly *adding* footage. So I went with Season 4s credits as it seemed like a more fun challenge. For footage that I couldn't match, I tried to find something with a similar feel. Failing that, I went with whatever I could find in The Game that wouldn't feel too out of place in the HBO show. Luckily, there's plenty of rich stuff in both. This was a fantastically fun way to spend the afternoon. # My Recreation 0:00 /1:29 1× ## Side-by-Side Comparison 0:00 /1:29 1× Side By Side You know what? I still love the elephant, but four clowns falling all over each other isn't a bad visual metaphor for Sucesssion either. --- 💾 Matthew Bogart is a cartoonist known for his comic series "[Incredible Doom](http://incredibledoom.com/?ref=matthewbogart.net)" about kids getting into trouble over the early internet, which Vanity Fair called one of the best of the year.