How The Video Game Adaptation Curse Is Finally Broken

For years, TV and movie adaptations of popular video game have often failed to live up to expectations both critically and commercially. So much so that many consider the genre of these adaptations “cursed” no matter what kind of approach has been taken. However, in recent years, a handful of video game adaptations have finally broken this curse, offering hope for the future of the genre.

The Cause Of ‘The Curse'

The curse of the video game adaptation can be traced back to the early days of video game movies, with the 1993 adaptation of Super Mario Bros. often cited as the first prime example of a video game movie gone wrong for a variety of reasons. The lack of respect for the source material, the challenge of adapting interactive media, budget constraints, and the need to appeal to a wider audience are all factors that contributed to the overall poor quality of the adaptation.

As years went on, these problems consistently plagued hundreds of directors and producers whenever they are hired for one of these projects, and very few ever got close to cracking the code. Movies like Resident Evil, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and Assassin’s Creed, all failed to impress both critics and audiences alike. The failures of these movies eventually discouraged every director and filmmaker to touch video game adaptations and would purposely avoid these projects because of its ‘cursed’ outcome.

How Did They Get Good?

Obviously, the very nature of these adaptations are not actually cursed, but the process to making them was doomed from the get go. That was until video game themed movies like Ready Player One and Free Guy succeeded at the box offices and paved the way for better video game adaptations in the future.

Both Ready Player One and Free Guy drew heavily on video game culture and tropes in a way that felt authentic and respectful to gamers. By including hundreds of easter eggs and references while telling a fun standalone story, this has helped win over audiences who may have been skeptical of video game adaptations in the past.

However, the one movie that really signaled the beginning of an era of quality video game adaptations was the 2019 film Detective Pikachu, due to being one of the very few video game adaptations that managed to balanced fast-paced action with an engaging narrative that took viewers on a journey. By striking a balance between action, storytelling, and paying homage to the source material, Detective Pikachu became the second-highest grossing video game film adaptation in history and was often regarded as the first best video game adaptation so far.

Filmmakers took note of Detective Pikachu’s success and it drew back a number of directors who wanted to take a shot at video game adaptations. However, this hope was short lived when directors thought that copying some of the most iconic moments and characters in video games was key to making these movies good. As particularly seen with the 2020 live-action Monster Hunter movie, 2021’s Mortal Kombat movie, and the 2022 Uncharted movie, all failing to live up to the hype, since every film struggled how to balance action and meaningful storytelling. It really was a classic case of one step forward and two steps back.

The Comeback Of The Century

Despite everything, a handful of video game adaptations have finally broken the curse from the TV side, making an amazing comeback that no one saw coming. The most notable examples were Netflix’s animated adaptations of the popular MOBA game League of Legends and the action-packed sci-fi RPG Cyberpunk 2077 in the forms of Arcane, and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.

Both shows received universal acclaim, with praise directed at its story, animation, worldbuilding, action sequences, voice acting, and music. The success of both of these series has not only dominated Netflix’s most watched for weeks on end, but it also showcased how good a video game adaptation can be when it is done right.

The byproduct were two shows that pushed the boundaries of animation and entranced viewers in these fictional worlds in the same way gamers have when they first played these games. With the animated front proving that video game adaptations can work, many more shows soon delivered to similar levels of success.

The Cuphead Show, Dragon Age: Absolution, and Dota: Dragon’s Blood all received generally positive reviews from critics and fans, solidifying the fact that the curse has been broken. But perhaps the most recent and victorious example is HBO’s TV adaptation of The Last of Us, where many believe that the show was the one that broke the video game adaptation curse.

The Beginning Of Something Great

The success of The Last of Us can be attributed to its strong source material, as well as its talented cast and crew. The show proved to everyone that it wasn’t a carbon copy of the video game and has made a number of minor aesthetic and narrative changes that didn’t affect the story as a whole, but instead made it more feasible and logical in a television drama format.

However, the main success of the show was how well the co-creators managed to expand and translate the game’s emotional narrative from an interactive format over to a more static format. Co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann spoke often about the process and challenges of exchanging immersive action-packed scenes for more character driven backstory and dialogue.

The most notable example of this was the third episode “Long, Long Time”, where it focused on the backstory of side characters Bill and Frank showcasing their relationship and the challenges that came along with it. Meanwhile, the in game’s version of events had these two character’s backstory being told off screen, and featured an action sequence with the titular dual protagonists Joel and Ellie escaping from a horde of infected.

The shift from an action sequence to a deep emotional narrative was proven to be one of the best decisions the co-creators has made as it had both fans and critics tearing up and praising the writing, acting, and overall direction of the episode. They have succeeded in making the Last of Us adaptation great by making it stand out from its video game counterpart in ways that the game couldn’t. That is what a true video game adaptation should be at its very core.

Flukes Or Signs Of A Better Future?

So what do these recent successes mean for the future of video game adaptations? While it’s too early to say for certain, it’s clear that filmmakers and TV show creators are starting to understand what it takes to make a successful video game adaptation. By staying true to the source material while also taking creative liberties to make the adaptation their own, filmmakers and TV show creators can deliver movies and TV shows that both fans of the games and newcomers can enjoy.

Of course, not every video game adaptation will be a success, and there will still be plenty of misfires along the way. However, with recent successes like League of Legends: Arcane, HBO’s The Last of Us and even Universal Picture's Super Mario Bros. Movie, it’s clear that the curse of the video game adaptation is finally broken. With more and more video games being adapted for the big and small screens, it’s an exciting time for fans as the possibility of witnessing something great has gotten higher than ever before.

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