The Screen Scribe

Hollywood has a new favourite toy, and it’s not a reboot, a sequel, or even a Marvel spin-off (for once). It’s video games. For decades, video game adaptations were Hollywood’s awkward side project. Remember the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie? No? Good — I try not to either. But lately, something’s changed. Now, video games are getting the A-list treatment, with high production values, strong storytelling, and actual character development. Yes, you heard right. Character development. Shocking, I know. It’s almost like film writers have remembered how to do their jobs. But it seems like Hollywood is levelling up, at least in the video game department.

This sudden fascination with adapting video games is no coincidence. Over the last few years, video games have evolved — not just in graphics and storytelling, but in the eyes of Hollywood, too. Once considered difficult (or even cursed) to adapt, video games are now inspiring some of the biggest and most successful film and TV projects. From The Last of Us to Sonic the Hedgehog, the shift is real — and it’s working. But as Hollywood has spent years floundering, terrified to pump money into original projects for fear of box office failure and studios becoming increasingly reliant on the superhero market to generate income (which is now severe fatigue), it may be that the upper echelons of Tinsel Town have stumbled upon the next box office juggernaut.

Video games are no longer just the domain of teenagers, Twitch streamers, and content creators on Youtube. Modern video games are storytelling powerhouses that boast serious, mature plotlines, rich complex characters, emotional depth, and cinematic worlds. We’re talking post-apocalyptic drama (The Last of Us), moral and ethical dilemmas (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt), and emotional rollercoasters that make you question your life choices (Red Dead Redemption 2). That gives writers, actors and directors more to work with, basically handing them ready-made scripts, granted they don’t butcher them to death in preproduction (looking at you The Witcher).

From a marketing perspective, studios love a built-in audience, and popular games come with millions of fans who will show up in cosplay on opening night. It’s like skipping the first 10 marketing steps and provided the trailers generate buzz, studios are not as fearful about big box office losses. But even the streaming services are getting in on the act, and probably to more early success than the big screen adaptations. Netflix, HBO, Amazon — they all want the next big thing to keep us binge-watching until 2 a.m. Video game adaptations offer big worlds, rich characters, and just enough nostalgia to make us say, “Okay, one more episode.” Once upon a time, video game movies were… not great. (Mortal Kombat, anyone?) But now? We’ve got Arcane (based on League of Legends), which scored a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, Castlevania and Devil May Cry, Fallout and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which casually raked in over a billion dollars. The curse isn’t just broken — it’s respawned into a gold mine.

Video games are no longer just the source of joystick nostalgia — they’re becoming the next big universe for storytelling on screen. With passionate fans, rich narratives, and endless creative potential, it looks like Hollywood’s newest blockbuster trend is here to play.