The 2000s Were the Peak for This Lost Video Game Trend & I Kind of Miss It

by

There’s a lot of love for the early 2000s right now, and it’s influencing everything from movies and TV shows to video games. We’re seeing many older games and franchises get remade or updated. However, one thing from that era that’s faded away is the automatic creation of video games based on popular movies and TV series. Back then, it was standard practice to make a game to go along with a big release. Nowadays, those tie-in games are rare, and I, for one, find myself wishing they’d make a comeback.

Big games based on well-known franchises are still common – Netflix releases mobile games for hits like Squid Game and Stranger Things, and we continue to see titles like Hogwarts Legacy and Marvel games. However, in the 2000s, even unexpected properties often received console spin-off games. While many of these adaptations were terrible (remember Catwoman?), some were surprisingly good. I, for one, miss the era of strange, seemingly random tie-in games.

Best Media Tie-In Games of the 2000s

When I was a kid, I loved going to stores like GameStop and Blockbuster to discover new video games. I especially have fond memories of games based on popular movies, TV shows, and books. While not every story translates well into a game, it was always exciting to see developers try. Some of the most enjoyable games from the 2000s actually started as other types of media.

I have really fond memories of playing Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on the Game Boy. Unlike the movies, the game stayed much closer to the original book, which I thought was great. It had enjoyable little games within the main adventure, surprisingly challenging battles, and a good feeling of discovery, even before open-world games became common. It wasn’t the only popular fantasy series to get good video game adaptations in the 2000s, though.

We also enjoyed the video games based on the Lord of the Rings movies, starting with Fellowship of the Ring in 2002. These games were really well-made RPGs that allowed us to experience the stories firsthand. Return of the King is still considered one of the best Lord of the Rings games, and it was created during a time when almost every popular movie was getting a video game adaptation.

The 2000s were a fantastic time for video games based on movies. Almost every big film had its own game, including popular titles like Ratatouille and Coraline: The Game. Even less successful movies, like X-Men Origins: Wolverine, sometimes inspired surprisingly good games. However, that’s changed. Nowadays, major movies don’t usually have games released at the same time, or even at all. Instead, it often takes a while for established franchises to get a game adaptation, and many never do.

Why We Don’t See Many New Movie & TV Video Game Tie-Ins with Modern Gaming

I was just reminiscing about playing movie and TV show games when I was a kid, and it got me thinking – why don’t we get those kinds of games as much anymore? A lot of people say it’s because many of them weren’t very good and didn’t sell well, and that’s definitely true. The 2000s had some amazing tie-in games, but also some really bad ones – I mean, who could forget how awful Catwoman (2004) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2000) were? There were just so many of them being released that it was impossible for them all to be winners. But I think there’s more to it than just quality and sales, honestly.

While cost and potential profits play a role, the biggest reason we don’t see many movie tie-in games anymore is timing. Game development has become much more complex and takes significantly longer, but movie production schedules haven’t changed much. Even in the early 2000s, rushing games to release with a movie often meant they weren’t very good. Now, with the increased demands of modern gaming, it’s just unrealistic to expect a game and a movie to launch at the same time.

Modern gaming has changed a lot, and many games now focus on multiplayer experiences and ongoing updates. This makes it harder for games based on movies or TV shows to simply retell those stories. While older tie-in games like Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets closely followed the source material, newer games often take a different path. Hogwarts Legacy, for example, creates its own open-world adventure inspired by the Harry Potter universe, rather than directly adapting the books or films.

Most movie-based games weren’t very good, but a few were surprisingly fun. I actually kind of miss the creativity of developers adapting films like Ratatouille into video games. While it’s probably better that we don’t see so many rushed, low-quality tie-in games now, I sometimes wonder what could have been.

What’s your all-time favorite video game based on a movie or TV show? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/gear/news/best-video-game-remakes-remasters-2025-2026/embed/#

Read More

2025-12-19 22:41