adminVideo game adaptations for film and television are the focus of a new venture from Griffin Gaming Partners and Entertainment 360. The companies have launched HITpoint Entertainment to connect game developers and publishers with creative and production partners who can bring game properties to the screen.
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How HITpoint will support video game adaptations
HITpoint plans to draw on Griffin’s relationships across the gaming industry and Entertainment 360’s experience producing projects based on established intellectual property. The aim is to identify promising game properties and match them with suitable writers, filmmakers, actors, studios and producers.
The companies say game creators will remain involved from early development through production. That approach is intended to give developers a direct role in decisions about how their work is adapted, while connecting them with film and television professionals. For creators considering an adaptation, staying engaged throughout the process can help keep the original property’s distinctive characters and ideas at the center of development.
Major franchises and independent games
HITpoint intends to work with both established franchises and independent games. Griffin’s existing industry relationships may help the venture consider projects from a range of studios, rather than focusing only on properties from major publishers.
Griffin co-founder and managing director Peter Levin previously played a key investor role in Amazon’s Fallout television series. Entertainment 360’s clients are involved in the live-action adaptation of The Legend of Zelda. These connections reflect the partners’ experience with screen projects based on game properties, though each adaptation has its own creative and production requirements.
Levin described games as a significant source of characters and stories for screen projects, while emphasizing the importance of understanding the creative work and passion behind them. Griffin says it has built relationships with both major publishers and independent studios, and views HITpoint as a resource for its more than 100 portfolio companies, strategic partners and the wider gaming community.
Funding support for indie game properties
Independent games are also part of the plan. HITpoint expects to use Griffin’s $100 million indie fund, led by Hooded Horse CEO Tim Bender, in connection with independent projects. Griffin co-founder and managing director Nick Tuosto has said the fund’s central purpose is to provide capital and support to independent studios working to launch successful games. The partners are also interested in the possibility of developing new intellectual properties in other formats.
Entertainment 360 compared HITpoint’s approach with Hollywood’s established practice of finding source material early and developing it for screen. Applied to games, that means identifying potential properties, creating a development path and pairing each one with filmmakers who understand its particular appeal.
What HITpoint’s launch means for video game adaptations
HITpoint brings gaming-industry relationships and screen-production experience together in one venture. Its stated priorities include early identification of game properties, collaboration with creators and support for both large franchises and independent titles. For developers exploring video game adaptations, the practical takeaway is to consider how their creative involvement, project partners and development plans can work together from the outset.
