Hollywood is always on the hunt for new ideas for films to engage the public. While it was common practice many years ago for games to adapt as a result of movies, such as the Big Lebowski slot machine, for instance. Now, Hollywood is catching on that there’s also a lot of promise, and money, to be had from adapting famous games into movies.
Gaming devices are more affordable, accessible, and convenient now than they once were, And so, gaming has become a popular hobby for people worldwide of all ages.
Consequently, the target audience for games is no longer limited to young teenage boys. It
spans from toddlers on their tablets playing games like PBS Kids, to senior members of the population engaging in games like bingo.
With that, the perspective of games has changed, and the audience has broadened dramatically. Making the gaming sector an increasingly popular option for the movie industry to derive ideas to make new films a large audience will love.
For popular video game adaptations released in recent years, see the five below.
Movie Adaptations
Uncharted
After many years of rumors and delays, the movie Uncharted was released in 2022.
The movie is charming and thoroughly captures the spirit of the PlayStation game.
Wahlberg and Holland starred in the movie, but arguably Holland was the star of the show for his performance.
Silent Hill
Perhaps one of the better video game movies the world has seen. It has a good cast and a decent amount of horror to keep fans entertained.
Plus the movie included the Pyramid Head, which scores the movie brownie points, as it was much more terrifying in the movie than in the game.
Werewolves Within
This movie was based loosely on a horror VR game by Ubisoft. The game was based around a group of people, and any one of them could be a monster.
The movie starts with a storm, the town is ransacked, and a couple of dead bodies emerge. Out of the small group, one is the culprit.
It’s an intriguing watch, and some parts are funny and smart too, adding to the film’s appeal.
Mortal Kombat
To begin with, the fight scenes, as any true fan would hope, are amazing, so it scores high for this. And it includes the game’s favourite fighters such as Sonya Blade and Sub Zero.
For those who love the combat and gore of the game, they’ll find plenty of that transferred over to the film.
Warcraft
Grossing around $439 million Warcraft is the most successful video game adaptation to
exist.
Orchestrated under acclaimed director Duncan Jones, and spoiled with a raft of money, the movie, for many, did the game justice.
Sonic the Hedgehog
While the initial reaction before the film’s release was negative, the final product was approved.
The film had great voice-over work from people like Ben Schwartz and Jim Carrey, and the movie was fun and vibrant to watch.
Supposedly, due to the film’s success, a sequel is on the way.
While there have been numerous attempts in the past with studios attempting to make games into movies, a lot have missed the mark, and disappointed fans.
Photo by Karolina Grabowska from PexelsBut now, it’s apparent scriptwriters, producers, and directors are taking the gaming genre more seriously. And instead of focusing on how to make money quickly, they’re invested in telling the story from the game to its fullest and taking time to transfer the best and most loved parts of the game to the screen.
Piers Harding-Rolls from Ampere Analysis revealed there are more than 20 movies a year based on games, with a portion of these based on the subscription platforms like Netflix and Prime.
Moreover, Piers explains, the increased interest and willingness to create gaming franchises into movies, is because the industry realizes that games are a popular entertainment contender and it allows the film industry to generate new, lucrative streams of revenue.
According to Statista, the video game sector is estimated to make over 200 billion worldwide this year, and subsequently grow annually by 6.52% until 2027, resulting in $285 billion in revenue.
In conclusion, the future of gaming is promising and as video game movies evolve and improve to better represent the essence of each game, this sector will continue to prosper for the long term too.
