Video game IP is a hot commodity in Hollywood right now. The old era of failed game adaptations seems to be coming to an end and making way for a new wave of award-winning and faithfully adapted series and movies based on video games. Leading the charge are three major streamers, but which company is winning the video game adaptation war?
For so long video game stories failed to properly carry over to film and television. While attempts were made with movies based on popular IPs like Doom, Tomb Raider, and Monster Hunter, none of them left much of an impact on audiences. However, Hollywood seems to have cracked the formula for video game adaptations by turning these expansive worlds into TV series, where their stories and characters have more room to breathe. Three production companies have emerged as leaders in this space, Netflix, Prime Video, and HBO, but the competition for best video game adaptation is fierce, and it isn’t slowing down.
Video Game Adaptations: The Landscape So Far
Netflix
Netflix has the most video game adaptations on its slate by far. The streamer has found success by turning the worlds of video games into animated series, a move that is both cost-effective and sustainable for exploring the expansive and often fantastical worlds of these franchises. Some of the video game adaptations Netflix has produced in recent years include:
Arcane: League of Legends
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Resident Evil
Tekken: Bloodline
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft
Dragon’s Dogma
Dragon Age: Absolution
Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix
DOTA: Dragon’s Blood
Castlevania & Castlevania: Nocturne
Netflix’s video game adaptations have received reviews on all ends of the spectrum, but the animated series in particular are often positively reviewed. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was a fan-favorite with 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and helped to garner interest in CD Projekt Red’s video game world after the initial launch of the game suffered critical setbacks. Arcane is another definite winner for Netflix in the video game adaptation war, with the series earning wide critical acclaim from fans and reviewers, and introducing a whole new legion of fans into the world of League of Legends. Arcane also scored award wins at the Annies and Primetime Emmys and is considered one of the most visually stunning animated series.
Prime Video
Prime Video has only a couple of video game adaptations to date, but it looks to be a priority area for the streamer moving forward. Earlier in 2024, Prime Video released Fallout, an adaptation of Bethesda’s long-running, open-world, post-apocalyptic, action RPG. The series, which came from Westworld producers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, and starred Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins, Aaron Moten, Kyle Maclachlan, and more, was very successful for Prime Video. The show earned high review scores, claimed a bunch of Emmy nominations, and was a bonafide hit in terms of numbers on the streamer. Prime Video’s second video game adaptation in 2024 was released to a much quieter reception. The company adapted SEGA’s infamous Yakuza franchise into the six-episode series Like a Dragon: Yakuza, which was criticized for being too loose with its source material, and ultimately scored middling reviews.
HBO
HBO has only one video game TV series to date, but it is a stand-out. In 2023, the network released The Last of Us, an adaptation of Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic video game. The series was something of a revelation in the world of video game adaptations, providing a season that was incredibly faithful to its source material, but also made changes and expanded the story in ways that made it an even more exceptional story for television. The Last of Us earned Emmy nominations in basically every category and was successful in appealing to new audiences and satisfying die-hard fans of the game.
What’s Next for Netflix, Prime Video and HBO?
While each of the three streamers has established themselves on the board, the battle to create even more high-value video game adaptations is just getting started. Looking ahead, Netflix has the highest volume of new video game adaptations in the works, with another series of Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft on the way, as well as a new animated collaboration with CD Projekt Red for Cyberpunk 2077. The streamer is also working on an anime adaptation of Devil May Cry and a series based on Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed (which already received one ill-fated movie adaptation). Perhaps most exciting is the BioShock movie which is in development at Netflix, although the potential of that project succeeding is unclear, particularly given how long it’s remained on the drawing board. Some other video game adaptations at Netflix, like a movie based on The Division, are also in the works, but it’s unclear whether they’ll ever eventuate.
Prime Video is moving quickly to snap up other major video game IP, with the streamer recently gaining the rights to BioWare’s Mass Effect games, intending to turn it into a series with Fast & Furious 9 writer Daniel Case attached. The other major series the studio is developing is an adaptation of Sony Santa Monica’s God of War which recently had a switch up of showrunners behind the scenes. The series appears to be a priority for Amazon and, if done correctly, it could rival the success of Fallout and The Last of Us.
Speaking of, The Last of Us Season 2 remains the only video game adaptation on HBO’s slate, but after the reception the first season received, it may be the only franchise the company needs to win the war. Fans are eager to see how HBO adapts Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part 2 and the series’ casting announcements, which includes the additions of Kaitlyn Dever, Catherine O’Hara, and Jeffrey Wright, set things up for another blockbuster season that could surpass the success of the first.
Video Game Adaptations: Who is Winning?
Each of the major streamers has strong contenders in the race for best video game adaptation. Netflix has the edge in terms of volume of content and has cornered the animated series market, but with Arcane over and a new Cyberpunk show still a while away, the company needs something big in the next few years to compete with. HBO could be considered the winner in terms of quality and faithfulness, despite only having one series under its belt. What remains to be seen is whether the goodwill gained with the first season of The Last of Us can be continued in Season 2, as it adapts much more difficult source material. Prime Video is the dark horse in the race. Fallout established itself as a must-watch series, and Season 2 has only raised fan excitement with its promise to explore a New Vegas. If the series adaptations of God of War and Mass Effect maintain the same level of quality as Fallout, they could make Amazon the real winner in the video game adaptation landscape.
