Is The New Dawn For Video Games On TV?

It's barely even worth mentioning the reputation that video game movies have garnered, mostly because the words "video game movie" are practically a synonym for "bad movie" in the wider cultural landscape. Super Mario Bros. kicked the subgenre off horribly, and since, the likes of Mortal Kombat II, Doom, and Street Fighter have all helped carry it straight into infamy.

The tide has been turning though. Tomb Raider, Pokemon: Detective Pikachu and the reboot of Mortal Kombat all served as passable at worst, wonderful at best video game blockbusters that, by rights, defy the reputation that the interactive medium has earned in its transition to the silver screen. Yet, despite many successes (now including Uncharted, which at the time of writing is looking to be a big box office hit), the genre doesn't seem to be on its way to a prestigious rebrand.

It's just as well, then, that video game adaptations are beginning to pivot to television. And it could be the wisest move that the industry has had in years.

TV Works - Because It Isn't Film

First and foremost, a shift to a more episodic approach to storytelling could help break the curse of video games-turned-passive. Because even when video game movies work, and work well, it doesn't do nearly enough to budge the cultural knowledge, or the retina damage, caused by Street Fighter.

As much as we loved it, we know in our hearts that Detective Pikachu wasn't going to be the film that caused cause cinephiles to fall in love with video games, and realistically, there are not many properties that would.

But maybe we don't need them, as the properties that could make video game movies 'cool' aren't even bothering, speedrunning to television instead.

We've seen with the monumental success of The Witcher, and the cult fanbases of both League of Legends' Arcane and the Castlevania anime, that streaming services are comfortable places for video game narratives to find new and untapped audiences.

This consumer-friendly way of leaping straight into users' recommended pages on their favourite streaming service makes it easier than ever to connect with film and television users wouldn't usually find themselves interested in, and it has worked in favour of video game adaptions in a big way.

The Witcher was watched for 625 million hours in the first 28 days of its second series' launch, and nestled itself comfortably among Netflix's most popular TV series almost instantly. And when even Tomb Raider can't raise an eyebrow at the box office, it's clear to see why this jump is being made - fans are latching on when it comes to TV. And that's exactly what these narratives deserve.

Video Games And TV Go Hand In Hand

Electing to take a property to television isn't primarily a fiscal one, either, nor is it dictated by a hope for a further cultural spread - it also has the potential to tell better stories. HBO's long-awaited adaptation of The Last of Us isn't only set to tell the story we know, and the one that made it one of story-led gaming's greatest success stories - but it's introducing brand new characters and narrative threads. There was fair worry that a cinematic adaptation would have to trim the fat of Ellie & Joel's slow-burn relationship, but with enough space to breathe across multiple episodes, there's time to make it work and then some.

The episodic structure isn't fresh to video games, either, as the likes of The Walking Dead and Life Is Strange have made a name for themselves by drip-feeding passionate narratives over short bursts to keep fans engaged. And when even Call of Duty and Fortnite are releasing their content in short, sharp bursts, it becomes obvious that this is now what gamers are accustomed to. So why deviate, especially when it means that the property can get the loving treatment it deserves?

Of course, film and TV are different beasts. It's hard to assume that studios would easily flip-flop between the two mediums, but it's clear that a shift is taking place that's making them second guess the 'turn it into a move' reflex. The capabilities of storytelling on television have changed over time, and now that we have streaming services at our disposal, it's no wonder that the emotional brutality of The Last of Us and the dramatic science fiction of Halo have been considered to adapt better to the TV than the big screen.

Is TV A New Start For Video Game Adaptations?

The changeover has already begun. While it'd be unreasonable to expect that the video game movie is on its way out (Netflix's recently announced Bioshock film and Chad Stahelski's Ghost of Tsushima might like a word), it's clear that studios are giving TV more than just a passing thought thanks to the massive successes of The Witcher and Castlevania. Plus, as a Knuckles series has been announced to arrive on Paramount+ even before his debut appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and a confirmed Life is Strange series in the works too, TV is about to get an incredible wealth of video game-y content.

The video game movie isn't dead yet, but the industry is now set up to allow for just as many adventures on the small screen as the big one. Now give us a live-action Resident Evil series, you cowards.