With over 65 million viewers in just two weeks, it's safe to say the Fallout TV series on Amazon Prime has been a smashing success.
The plight of Vault dweller Lucy MacLean and her ascent into the madness of a nuclear apocalypse has certainly caught the world's attention, and then some.
But for gamers, the success of Fallout came as no real surprise. After all, video games have always been a source of amazing stories, characters, and worlds begging to be explored.
It just took Hollywood a bit of time to catch up.
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Fallout is just one example of the recent renaissance of gaming crossovers. From award-winning The Last of Us and League of Legends' animated series Arcane, to heavy hitters in cinema like Super Mario Bros, Uncharted, and Sonic the Hedgehog - our favourite games are breaking through the virtual glass ceiling and entering the mainstream.
Like the comic book revolution that saw multiverses become a monthly staple, we'll likely be seeing even more faithful adaptations on our screens in the future. Titles like Minecraft, Among Us, Ghost of Tsushima, and even The Sims are reportedly getting their big transformation.
And yet, we've barely scratched the surface of the huge library of adventure games can provide. While it's impossible to cover every game that warrants an adaptation, below are ten titles that should be a priority for any savvy streaming platform looking to create the next big thing...
Red Dead Redemption 2
With over 61 million copies shipped, Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the most critically acclaimed games ever made. Set in 1899 at a time when the Wild West is slowly vanishing, the game follows the last remaining outlaws who refuse to be tamed by laws and civilisation.
Arthur Morgan is one of the most praised protagonists of all time, and is precisely what you want in a leading man. His grapple with family and loyalty, set against a world of political tensions and gang-fuelled paranoia, would make for a truly stellar TV crossover.
Horizon Zero Dawn
As world-building goes, Horizon Zero Dawn is at the top of the class. Set in a post-apocalyptic world where advanced robots battle primitive humans, the game bursts with detail and lore at every pixel. The main character, Aloy, is equally endearing and truly one of the true great video game protagonists in recent years.
Her quest to uncover her mysterious past and the true reason why civilisation fell all those years ago is spellbinding. With a recent sequel Forbidden West, and a VR game, Call of the Mountain, the world of Horizon still has so much to offer. And while there have been reports of a TV adaptation set for production, pressure must be kept on those in power to ensure that Aloy's story sticks the landing.
Frostpunk
As a strategy survival game, you might not think games like Frostpunk could be translated onto the small screen. But if shows like Snowpiercer have taught us anything, plenty of drama can be found in the cold.
Set in a completely frozen 19th-century world, you are the captain of a small group of survivors. The game is full of controversial (but necessary) decision-making, with no room for empathy. You must push the last remaining citizens to their breaking point to ensure the next generation's survival.
With the release of Frostpunk 2 hotly anticipated for July 2024, there'll no doubt be an even bigger surge of interest in the game, its setting, and a potential cinematic transformation.
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy is a role-playing franchise that has dominated the gaming industry for decades. And while the gaming world is firmly transfixed on the retelling of Final Fantasy VII right now, for adaptation purposes (let's forget the hit and miss big-screen adaptation from 20-plus years ago) the focus should shift to uncovering some of the franchise's other, often overlooked, titles.
Final Fantasy X is one of the most obvious choices, a game that easily defined the PlayStation 2 era when it was released in 2001. Following in the footsteps of Tidus and Yuna, the story includes highly emotive storytelling set in the mesmerising world of Spira. A band of unorthodox heroes must unite a world in conflict to take down a malignant enemy with unmatched power while building the courage to make the ultimate sacrifice...
Baldur's Gate 3
Though only released in 2023, Baldur's Gate 3 is already a bonafide classic, sweeping virtually every award and cementing itself within the gaming history books. Based on tabletop giant Dungeons and Dragons, the game takes players on an epic quest to save forgotten realm Faerûn from destruction, use a near-unlimited amount of spells and abilities, and flex their creative muscles by creating your own band of heroes.
While the magic of BG was the stories you created yourself, the world in which it is set is ripe with potential. Several of the game's canon stars, like the vampire Astarion, cleric Shadowheart, and ferocious warrior Lae'Zel, have already become stars in their own right. Capturing their (literal) magic on screen would be a treat for fans of any genre on the hunt for the next big cinematic franchise.
Life is Strange
Life is Strange is an episodic game set in the fictional town of Arcadia Bay. It revolves around the 'butterfly effect', a theory in which small actions can have huge implications for future effects.
Playing as teenager Max Caulfield, you discover you have time-rewinding abilities that allow you to change events and save those around you. However, each choice can have dire consequences for future events.
With supernatural abilities, teenage drama, and agonising decisions for Max to make at every turn, Life is Strange has everything you could possibly want in a weekly show. And finding out what direction the story would take as canon would make it just as enjoyable for veteran gamers.
Overwatch
As one of the staple first-person shooters in gaming, Overwatch has one of the biggest and most passionate fan communities. Set in a futuristic Earth, the game tells the story of a band of super-solider heroes who quell terrorist organisations and snuff out robot rebellions—but not without controversy.
From the superspeedy Tracer, the masked vigilante Soldier 76, to evil Irish geneticist Moira O'Deorain, each character of the game's expansive roster could easily take centre-stage in a series. And if the online view count of production company Blizzard's library of animated shorts is any indicator, there's an insatiable appetite for these stories to reach an even bigger audience.
Metroid
A staple of science fiction and a pioneer in the Metroidvania genre, Metroid has more than earned its due in the gaming world. The recent success of Metroid Prime Remastered in 2023 proved that the series is as relevant now as it was back in the 1980s.
Playing as the revered bounty hunter Samus Aran, players are taken on a whirlwind adventure through an incredibly rich and diverse universe of space pirates, alien races, and a Galactic Federation—all of which are the ingredients for the next big sci-fi smash to hit television screens.
God Of War
Mythology has always had a chokehold on film and television, and there's no better series of games ripe to take advantage of this interest than God of War. Over the course of 10 (!) incredible games, players overcome unimaginable challenges across both Greek and Norse legends.
You play as the Kratos, a Spartan warrior who becomes the new 'God of War'. His explosive vengeance continues to grow with every scene as he tries desperately to change his own fate and avert disaster. All the while, he tries to navigate a tricky relationship with his son, Atreus.
With the franchise selling over 66 million copies and counting, a God of War adaptation makes perfect sense. And though there are promising reports of a TV show for Amazon Prime currently in development, gamers will wait with bated breath to see these dreams realised. If done properly, this could very well be the show that eclipses Fallout in the future.
Grand Theft Auto
It took just three days for Grand Theft Auto V to reach $1 billion in sales in 2013, so it's no surprise to learn that the games are beyond popular. And when the trailer for the upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI dropped late last year, it was as if the entire world had tuned in for a sneak peek at what was in store for the series next year.
That said, the series is not without its controversies. Balancing the game's satirical, social, and political flare would be a challenge to appease die-hard fans and make it suitable for streaming platforms. But there's no denying that GTA has gone above and beyond being 'just a violent game', and its continued success makes it impossible to rule out an adaptation in the future.
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