Driven by cult franchises with a strong fan base, adaptations of video games into films and TV shows are filling cinemas, dominating platforms and raking in millions. Encouraged by the success of The Last of Us and A Minecraft Movie, video games are fast becoming Hollywood's new golden goose.
Released in cinemas this month, A Minecraft Movie, adapted from the video game of the same name, took more than $570 million in its first two weeks – making it Hollywood's biggest hit of the year so far.
But with an average rating of 2.3 out of five stars from viewers and 1.8 from reviewers on the French cinema database Allociné, the film has divided opinion.
While it may have been met with a lukewarm critical reception, it has all the makings of a box office success story: childish humour for younger audiences, Jack Black and Jason Momoa to attract families and – the trump card – a readymade fan base thanks to the best-selling video game of all time.
From game over to jackpot
Until relatively recently, video game adaptations were little more than crude comedies. Super Mario Bros (1993) was a deliberate farce, and Street Fighter (1994) a soulless parody.
With sloppy scripts, a lack of understanding of the original worlds and artistic choices that missed the mark, adaptations driven by producers with little knowledge of the source material were seen as an insult to fans.
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But today the studios have changed their tune. And one success has followed another: The Last of Us, Arcane and Fallout. They're familiar franchises already validated by millions of gamers and brought to the screen with care.
Thirty years on from its predecessor, Super Mario Bros. The Movie (2023) topped the billion-dollar mark.
The Last of Us, based on a game that plunges the player into a post-apocalyptic world and broadcast on HBO in 2023, attracted more than 30 million viewers per episode, won six Emmy Awards, three Golden Globes and boosted sales of the game by 238 percent.
Season two, released on 13 April this year, is off to a roaring start.
The secret of its success? The executive producer of the series is none other than the game's creator, Neil Druckmann. "If we had tried to simply copy the game, it would have been a failure. We needed a new approach," he told The Hollywood Reporter.
The recipe seems to be to respect the original work, involve the game's studios in the creation, and aim for an ambitious narrative without trying to stick to the game's story 100 percent.
Purists vs newbies
Long derided as geeks, gamers are now a strategic audience for producers.
With 3.3 billion gamers worldwide in 2023 according to Newzoo, which specialises in analysis of the video games industry, the gaming market is estimated to be worth more than $180 billion – more than the film and music industries combined.
Adapting beloved franchises requires getting communities of fans on board – a demanding audience. In 2022, the Resident Evil series produced by Netflix was cancelled after one season after virulent criticism for its departure from the original work.
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To avoid another such fiasco, studios are now co-producing with the games' publishers themselves. The main aim is to appeal to purists without excluding newcomers.
A striking example is the Arcane series, adapted from League of Legends and co-created by game publisher Riot Games and Netflix. Rather than replicating the entire universe of the game, the series focuses on the story of two sisters, widening its audience appeal.
A work in its own right
The challenge is to speak to those who know every pixel, without losing those who have never picked up a controller. And to achieve this, a successful adaptation must be a work in its own right.
The Assassin's Creed film, released in 2016, failed in this regard and was criticised for a confusing scenario and an overload of references that left newbies out in the cold.
As for A Minecraft Movie, despite its box-office success, it has aroused reservations among purists who regret an overly codified scenario when the basic game is designed as a space of infinite freedom.
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The tidal wave of adaptations shows no signs of slowing down. According to gaming news and reviews site IGN, more than 70 video game adaptations are currently in development, including Zelda and The Sims.
However Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, speaking to Business Insider, has reservations.
"Video games are a medium in their own right, and not every franchise needs to be adapted for film or television. It's essential to respect the essence of each game and not turn them into mere derivatives," he said.
This article was adapted from the original version in French.
