Earlier this year, news first started to circulate about a movie based on The Sims video game series. At the time, we knew that Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment was attached to produce, with Kate Herron directing and co-writing the screenplay alongside Briony Redman. Herron previously directed the first season of Loki for Marvel Studios, and she’s worked on several projects with Redman, including Doctor Who. At the time of the announcement, there was no studio attached, but that has apparently changed. According to reporting from Puck (via GameSpot), Amazon MGM has won a bidding war for the film.

The Video Game Gold Rush

The report claims that Amazon MGM was competing with Netflix for the rights to the film. It’s claimed that Netflix actually offered more for the rights to The Sims, but LuckyChap wanted a theatrical release. Considering the box office and cultural success of Robbie’s Barbie, it makes perfect sense that the producers might place more value in the theatrical model.

Video game movies and TV adaptations have gotten a lot of attention over the last few years. The success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Sonic the Hedgehog, and The Last of Us has resulted in studios scrambling to find the next big game to adapt. Amazon’s Fallout series has also seen huge viewership numbers, and there are signs that the company is increasingly looking at different games to replicate that success. On top of The Sims movie, a Tomb Raider series was also given a full pickup at Prime Video earlier this month.

How Do You Make a Movie About The Sims?

The Sims series is developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. The first game in the series was released on PC back in 2000, and the series has seen a metric ton of numbered sequels, spin-offs, and expansions over the last 24 years. While the series remains massively popular, it will be interesting to see how it gets developed for the big screen. The Sims isn’t exactly known for having a deep narrative or backstory. That will make it challenging to deliver a movie that feels authentic to the source material, but a lack of narrative didn’t stop Sony from bringing Gran Turismo to theaters last year. Basically, it just means there’s a greater challenge for the filmmakers! Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for additional details about the project.

What do you think about making a movie based on The Sims? Do you think it will be hard to adapt? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!