From “objectively terrible” to “the perfect partnership” – Industry experts predict what’s next for video games on TV

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With the end of Fallout season 2 on Prime Video, people are wondering what’s next for turning video games into TV shows. Plus, what made the Fallout adaptation so successful in the first place?

Ultimately, it all comes down to the concept itself,” explains Christopher Dring, who leads the editorial team at The Game Business, a gaming industry publication.

Fallout offers a detailed and immersive world with plenty of stories to explore. It stands out from typical fantasy role-playing games like those based on Lord of the Rings, thanks to its unique look, sense of humor, exciting action, and memorable monsters. It truly feels like something different.

Creating something with the right balance of humor, action, and a believable world takes time and dedication. It really seems like a great collaboration between television writers and established game stories and characters.

Following the success of Fallout, Amazon is eager to create similar hit shows, and is planning live-action series based on both God of War and Tomb Raider for Prime Video.

HBO is looking for its next big hit, and is considering a TV series based on Baldur’s Gate 3. This comes as The Last of Us is nearing the end of its source material, with only one more season planned.

With more video games being made into TV shows, what do industry professionals like Dring think about this growing trend, and what games do they hope will be adapted next? These experts definitely have opinions on how gaming is making its mark on television.

Want to raid some tombs?

I have to admit, when I first heard about the Tomb Raider movie, it sounded really promising! That’s what George Osborn from Video Game Industry Memo thinks too, and he’s usually spot-on about these things.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a truly talented writer, and the upcoming series is shaping up nicely. The cast looks fantastic, with Sophie Turner, Jason Isaacs, and Celia Imrie all joining the project. Plus, given Amazon’s recent hit with Fallout, there’s a good chance this adaptation will be well-done.

The main hurdle seems to be adapting Tomb Raider for television, as opposed to making another movie. We’ve already seen two film versions – one with Angelina Jolie and a more recent reboot starring Alicia Vikander.

Despite the fact that previous attempts at adapting this story might have discouraged Amazon from making another movie, the game’s fast-paced action seems more fitting for a quick, entertaining film than a lengthy TV series.

Which game should be adapted next? Christopher Dring says, “I’d love for Alan Wake to make its way to the small screen. A wonderful horror game, with compelling characters and a distinct European-style. Remedy’s partnership with Annapurna opens up that possibility. It could be the new Twin Peaks.”

According to Luke Addison, the editor-in-chief at Thumb Wars, adapting ‘Tomb Raider’ for television presents a more difficult challenge than adapting ‘Fallout’.

At its core, Tomb Raider is the story of Lara Croft. Though her portrayal has evolved slightly over time, she remains fundamentally an adventurous explorer with a strong moral compass – she always strives to do what’s right.

If the show fails to portray this character in a believable and engaging way, nothing else will matter.

Waseem Mirza, an actor, filmmaker, and former tech journalist, also points out the challenge of rebooting Tomb Raider. He explains, “Lara Croft is such a well-known and beloved character, it’s hard to reimagine her.”

Don’t reduce her to just another action hero. What makes the games, particularly the newer ones, special is that she’s motivated by her desire to understand things, not just her skills. She spends time figuring things out and solving mysteries – it’s not all about running and jumping!

Tomb Raider’s a tough one because Lara is so, so iconic.

If Amazon focuses too much on action and explosions with the new Lara Croft, they’ll lose what makes the character special. It’s important that Lara Croft still feels like a smart, knowledgeable archaeologist.

Actions need to feel natural to the character, not forced or artificial. Finding that right balance is surprisingly difficult.

Sophie Turner’s vintage-style costume test for the role recently got a lot of attention online. This new adaptation is also making headlines thanks to all the casting announcements.

Boy! Get ready for God of War

Mirza notes that the latest God of War games are so visually stunning and well-produced, they feel like watching a movie.

Adapting these games feels daunting because they’re so carefully crafted. However, I believe the heart of their appeal lies in the bond between Kratos and Atreus. That connection works brilliantly in the games thanks to the close-up camera work and the way the action unfolds in real-time. To make a successful show, we need to find new ways to capture that same emotional impact.

You know, playing Kratos is really interesting. He’s not a big talker, and that’s totally intentional. It’s actually way harder to show that on screen than it sounds. If you just stand there silent, people might think you’re just being moody! The actor really has to make that silence powerful and communicate something without saying a word. It’s all about presence, really.

Addison is excited about Ryan Hurst, known for his role in Sons of Anarchy, playing Kratos in the upcoming show. As a longtime fan, Addison says they’re genuinely happy with the casting.

Which game should be adapted next? Waseem Mirza says, “I’m obsessed with the idea of a Half-Life adaptation. Instead of holding your hand with exposition dumps, they trust you to understand the world through observation. We have a tendency to want to explain everything now – aka the death of subtext. Half-Life wouldn’t let you do that. You’d have to trust your audience to be smart.”

Addison explained that the actor isn’t just physically right for the part – Kratos needs someone strong – but he also possesses the emotional depth to match the performance of Christopher Judge in the latest game.

George Osborn points out that God of War has a compelling story that would make a good TV show. He suggests the show could follow a similar formula to The Last of Us, focusing on a strong relationship between two main characters, like Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.

I would have understood it better if they’d announced a movie adaptation instead. It just feels more fitting for the story.

The adaptation faces some key challenges. After the original showrunner, Rafe Judkins, left, the series was restarted. Its future success depends on how well Cory Balrog, who created the original game, collaborates with the new showrunner, Ronald D Moore, and directors like Frederick EO Toye, known for his work on shows like Shogun and The Boys.

Mazin is gathering his party

How much video game executives should be involved in turning their games into TV shows is a big point of debate, and every adaptation handles it differently.

Todd Howard, head of Bethesda, is heavily involved with the Fallout TV series. Similarly, Neil Druckmann of Naughty Dog took on the role of co-showrunner for The Last of Us for its first two seasons before returning to focus on making games.

When news came out that Baldur’s Gate 3 would be adapted into an HBO series—with Craig Mazin, a frequent collaborator of Neil Druckmann, leading the project—fans of the game immediately voiced their worries. A major concern was that Larian Studios, the original developers of Baldur’s Gate 3, wouldn’t have a hands-on role in creating the TV show.

Which game should be adapted next? Luke Addison says, “Gears of War is an obvious one. A cinematic game at its very core, it’s crying out for an adaptation, as long as they throw enough money at it to do it justice.”

As Dring points out, it’s important to remember that Larian Studios took a break from the game to focus on their own projects, like Divinity. That’s understandable, and it simply means they’re no longer directly involved. The game franchise existed before Larian worked on it, and will continue to exist long after.

It seems like Larian Studios will likely be consulted for their opinions, which is probably all we can expect. They’re no longer associated with the Baldur’s Gate franchise, so their involvement is limited.

Honestly, I’m feeling a little more optimistic now that Neil Mazin said they’re planning to include some of my favorite characters from Baldur’s Gate 3 – and even get the original actors to play them! That feels like a really smart way to get fans back on their side, and they can do it without needing Larian’s Swen Vincke as one of the show’s producers, which was a big sticking point for a lot of us.

Mairza believes that Craig Mazin and HBO are the perfect team to adapt this popular game, especially after their successful collaboration on The Last of Us, which captivated many viewers from the start. He’s excited to see their next project.

How did we get here?

TV shows based on video games – like Fallout, The Last of Us, and the animated series Arcane – are now considered high-quality entertainment. It’s a significant improvement from where things stood just a few years ago.

Addison recalls that just a few years back, most people agreed that movies and TV shows adapted from video games were destined to be bad, and the same went for video games based on other media.

Thankfully, things are starting to improve. We’re seeing a lot more well-made adaptations of popular stories and franchises, instead of the poorly received, forgettable ones we used to get.

Which game should be adapted next? George Osborn says, “The game that I’d love to see adapted into a TV show is Cyberpunk 2077. The animated Edgerunners is a fantastic TV adaptation in its own right. A live-action series featuring the key cast members — Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand, Idris Elba as Solomon Reed — would be brilliant. I also think the show would have the potential to run and run, given how many outstanding stories Night City contains.”
 

What caused this shift? According to Mirza, the biggest change is that filmmakers are no longer embarrassed about using games as source material. They’ve moved beyond trying to legitimize games as ‘important’ culture and are now recognizing them as compelling stories on their own, largely because many of today’s filmmakers grew up playing them.

For years, video games have been crafting complex and meaningful stories. Now, television and movies are starting to reach that same level of storytelling.

As a huge fan, I always felt Halo stumbled not because the core idea wasn’t great, but because it felt like the people making the newer games didn’t get what made the original so special. They didn’t seem to respect the established story. It’s so clear when you look at successes like Fallout or The Last of Us – the developers are fans themselves! They genuinely understand what draws people into those worlds, and it shows in how they treat the material.

Dring sees a massive potential for the gaming industry. Unlike the superhero genre, which may experience audience burnout, games encompass so many different types that widespread disinterest is unlikely.

Each year, many new games with compelling stories, unique art styles, and memorable characters become available for adaptation into other media. Just a year ago, titles like Clair Obscur and Arc Raiders hadn’t even been released. This growing trend makes games increasingly similar to books, presenting a valuable opportunity for both major and independent film and television production companies.

Honestly, I’m not really buying this whole idea of games and movies becoming super connected. We’ve definitely seen attempts to blend them before, and some were pretty cool. The best example, in my opinion, is Defiance. Remember how what happened in the TV show would actually show up in the game, and things you did in the game could affect the show? That was a really neat way to tie everything together.

This is no passing trend.

According to Dring, we can expect to see more video games adapted into TV shows and movies. Developing major games can take five to seven years, or even longer, so expanding into television and film allows game companies to keep their popular franchises active and provide fans with new content in between game releases.

Television is starting to recognize how engaging games can be, even on smaller devices, and this isn’t just a temporary fad.

According to Mirza, the key to success, as demonstrated by Fallout, is straightforward: honor the original story, grasp what makes it meaningful to fans, and adapt it thoughtfully to your chosen format. When you do that, audiences will connect with it.

He explained that while the concept isn’t difficult, many previous attempts at adapting the source material have failed. He stressed the importance of avoiding the mistakes of past gaming TV and film adaptations to ensure success.

Thankfully, it looks like the recent string of disappointing TV adaptations is over, and hopefully that trend continues. Audiences seem eager for more, so let the good shows begin!

Authors

Rob LeaneGaming Editor

Rob Leane leads gaming coverage at TopMob, managing news and features for PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC, mobile, and VR games. He creates content for TopMob’s website, social media, and video platforms, and also puts together their weekly gaming newsletter. Before joining TopMob, Rob worked at Den of Geek, Stealth Optional, and Dennis Publishing.

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2026-02-12 13:09