adminVideo game movie adaptations are attracting growing interest from filmmakers and game companies, but turning a successful game into a film or TV series involves more than choosing a familiar title. Discussions at Screen Play, part of the London Games Festival, highlighted the opportunities in transmedia as well as the different expectations, working practices, and legal considerations that game developers and studios must navigate.
Video game movie adaptations are drawing major interest
Screen Play returned for its third year, with one attendee estimating that attendance had roughly doubled compared with 2025. The event’s popularity reflects the current appetite for stories that move between games, film, and television.
Film London CEO Adrian Wootton pointed to the number of game-based projects in development. One example is A24’s adaptation of Elden Ring, written and directed by Alex Garland, which has begun filming in the UK. Ubisoft film and television managing director Helene Juguet said that nearly 25% of movies being made over the next few years are based on video games. That figure may refer to Hollywood films specifically, rather than movies worldwide, but it suggests how quickly the category is expanding.
Practical takeaway: A high-profile adaptation can raise awareness of a game, but a project’s announcement is not a guarantee of release. Production schedules, casting, and other commitments can affect when—or whether—a film reaches audiences.
Creative control can help adaptations stay true to their source
Tencent vice president of partnerships and investments Mark Maslowicz said that game companies increasingly have a say in how adaptations are made. In earlier projects, studios could take a game concept and create a version that strayed far from its source. As gaming has grown into a major business, game companies have become better positioned to protect the creative identity of their properties.
More filmmakers also understand games because they have played them themselves. Genki Kawamura, director of the recently released Exit 8, is one example of a filmmaker working with familiarity with the medium. Still, that knowledge is not universal: some film executives may recognize the commercial reach of games without understanding how players connect with them.
Story Kitchen co-founder Dmitri M. Johnson, whose company works on adaptations including the new Tomb Raider TV show and the Sonic the Hedgehog movies, described how some Hollywood decision-makers rely on specialists to assess the potential of games. That gap makes early communication important: creative partners should explain not only a game’s premise, but also what makes its world and audience distinctive.
Contracts and rights require careful negotiation
Simon Pulman, a partner at New York law firm Pryor Cashman, outlined how deal-making conventions can differ between Hollywood and the games business. He cautioned that, under Californian law, even a brief email response indicating agreement to a film contract could potentially be treated as acceptance. Anyone discussing a deal should therefore avoid casual approval and have qualified legal counsel review the terms.
Pulman also compared typical film arrangements with the scale of successful games. In his example, an author might receive $100,000 for an option to adapt a book and another $1 million if the film is made. Those amounts could be transformative for an individual writer, but may not represent the same value to a games company behind a multi-million-selling title.
Traditional film agreements may also give a studio broad rights, potentially covering merchandise, music publishing, stage versions, location-based entertainment, podcasts, and even games based on the property. Game companies should identify which rights they are willing to license and which they need to retain before negotiations progress.
Both industries need to adapt to each other
Film production can take years, and a project may depend on securing a director and cast whose schedules align. Game companies entering a partnership need to account for that longer timeline and decide what compromises make a production viable. Film studios, in turn, may need to accept that they will not have the complete creative control they might expect on other projects.
The balance between the industries has shifted. Games are no longer simply looking to film for validation; both have valuable audiences and creative resources. The success of the Mario and Minecraft movies demonstrates the commercial potential of the relationship, while also raising expectations for future projects.
Conclusion: better collaboration matters more than speed
The rush to develop video game movie adaptations is understandable, but a strong partnership requires more than enthusiasm for a recognizable franchise. Clear rights agreements, realistic production expectations, and respect for what makes a game meaningful can help both sides build projects that work for film audiences and players alike.
