Video Game Adaptations Have a Poor Track Record. Gamers Want More Anyway

For reasons critics can’t agree on, film adaptations of video games often miss the mark. But that hasn’t stopped Hollywood from making them or gamers from clamoring for more. A new Morning Consult poll reveals there’s still plenty of business upside in producing these adaptations, finding that a clear majority of gamers are interested in seeing their favorite game franchises translated to TV and film.

What the numbers say 

• Three in 5 adults who play video games said they are interested in film, TV or book series based on their favorite games. The share of avid gamers, those who play video games for at least seven hours per week, interested in such adaptations climbed to 69 percent. 
• Interest was highest among millennial (77 percent) and Gen Z (74 percent) gamers.  Baby boomers were least enthusiastic about adaptations: 56 percent said they were not interested. 

The impact 

Hollywood continues to search for new sources of intellectual property to fill up their streaming libraries. While adapting video games isn’t new, expect to see a lot more — including the “Uncharted” film and the “Sonic the Hedgehog” sequel — in the coming years. HBO Max will also release a TV series based on “The Last of Us,” while Paramount+’s long-awaited “Halo” TV adaptation is finally set to stream in 2022. 

Given how many recent video game adaptations have either bombed at the box office or failed to impress critics, gamers would have reason to be skeptical of Hollywood’s attempts to cash in on their beloved games. But they don’t appear to hold those failures against the film industry. The poll shows gamers aren’t especially precious or territorial over their games, further proving the undeniable power of familiar intellectual property.

The survey was conducted Oct. 12-15, 2021, among 1,604 U.S. adults who say they play video games, with a margin of error of 2 percentage points.