Many famous gaming characters owe their existence to Hollywood. In fact, most genres of video games have been influenced by Tinseltown to some degree. What many people don’t know, however, is that Hollywood and video games continue to influence each other even now.
How did the symbiotic relationship between Hollywood and video games begin? Are there current examples of Hollywood’s influence on video games? To answer these questions, we have to take a brief look at the early 1980s.
Past to present
In the 80s and early 90s, video game films began making their way to the silver screen, starting with the likes of the original Tron and the first Super Mario Bros movie. Collaborations between video game producers and film companies became increasingly common during this period, with several successful projects being released.
In 1997, for example, world-renowned director Steven Spielberg came up with the idea for a video game called Medal of Honour. That game would give birth to a successful franchise, producing 17 games. The most recent game, Medal of Honour: Above and Beyond, marks over 20 years since the beginning of the franchise.
Steven Spielberg is far from the only creative talent Hollywood has given to gaming. In 2000, two Lionsgate executives, Jon Feltheimer and Dean Devlin, joined Zenimax Media, owner of several famous IPs like Dishonoured, Doom, and The Elder Scrolls Online. In 2002, action star Vin Diesel started his own development company, naming it Tigon Studios.
There are many more examples of Hollywood historically influencing video games, but they merely explain how we got to where we are today, and not the current state of this mutually beneficial relationship.
Topical examples
Thanks to the tremendous growth of streaming services like Netflix and HBO Max, Hollywood is bringing many TV series based on video games to modern audiences. Quite a few TV adaptations have come out in recent years, some notable ones being the Witcher, Castlevania, and Arcane from League of Legends.
These TV shows signal a shift in priorities by Hollywood. In the past, films based on video games have largely been met with less-than-ideal viewership figures. For instance, the highest-grossing video game film of all time, Warcraft, didn’t make enough money at the box office to justify a sequel.
Hollywood has found a new, more profitable avenue for its video game adaptations with a shift to home streaming platforms. Compared to home viewing options, big-budget blockbusters are far less common than they were a mere few years ago, while TV series have become diverse to a point bordering on saturation.
Movies tend to lose the interactive element of video games, subsequently leading to a lack of engaging story elements. It’s a common problem for films but doesn’t appear to be as much of an issue for TV shows. Perhaps it’s an issue of long-form vs episodic content, or maybe a video game story requires transformation before adaptation. Regardless of the reason, TV is by far the more popular entertainment medium right now.
All that being said, Hollywood hasn’t given up on feature films just yet. Several highly-anticipated video game movies are scheduled for release in the near future, such as Uncharted and Mario, both of which are reportedly coming out in 2022.
Future considerations
Despite a tumultuous relationship filled with box office failures, there’s clearly a longstanding demand for good video game adaptations from Hollywood. After all, gaming is now the world’s most significant entertainment sector, accounting for more global revenue than movies and music combined.
While it’s true that Hollywood has been behind many of gaming’s greatest success stories, the truth is that it’s a far more nuanced relationship. Both entertainment industries have benefited from each other over time, failing and succeeding together in a proverbial game of leapfrog.
If it wasn’t for video game technology, many CGI techniques used in modern filmmaking would not be possible. Without Hollywood, big-budget video games wouldn’t have A-list actors and actresses. The two industries have collaborated side-by-side throughout the last couple of decades, leading to groundbreaking technologies for both industries.
From the implications of a virtual society to the joy of seeing your favourite actor in a video game, the future of Hollywood and gaming is looking promising. After all, the two juggernauts of entertainment are closer now than they ever were before.
It’s impossible to predict what exactly the future of entertainment will be, but, for now, it’s safe to say that neither industry would be as successful as it is without the help of the other, and such a beneficial dynamic probably won’t change anytime soon.
