In September 2024, gaming giant Electronic Arts confirmed the rumours—there will be a Sims movie in 2025, produced by Amazon MGM Studios to coincide with the games franchise’s 25th anniversary.

This filming announcement is a recent example of an ongoing trend in which media production companies look to popular video game franchises to produce new content for audiences. Indeed, the Sims is a massive video game franchise beloved by many globally and therefore carries with it a huge, ready-baked fanbase who will likely watch a film adaption. According to the Sims team, Simmers spent more than 1.2 billion hours playing The Sims 4 in 2024.

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The symbiotic relationship between games and films is nothing new

Media production companies have used popular video game franchises as a guaranteed cash cow for years (think Tomb Raider). Likewise, popular film franchises have proved lucrative for game developers (think the myriad of Harry Potter games throughout the years). It is a way of drawing from an existing IP in an age where audiences are hungry for new content, without it feeling like a tired remake or cash grab.

Since 2023, film production companies have been churning out a lot of game-to-film content. Universal Pictures released The Super Mario Bros Movie and turned the horror game hit series Five Nights at Freddy’s into a film in 2023. In the same year, Sony Pictures came out with Gran Turismo. Elsewhere, Paramount Pictures has produced a Sonic the Hedgehog threequel, due for release in December 2024, andWarner Bros has announced the highly anticipated 2025 release of Minecraft: The Movie.

This phenomenon extends to the streaming wars, with great global success. Netflix added The Witcher to its catalog, a hugely popular title on the streaming platform, while Amazon Prime saw success with its adaptation of the video game IP Fallout. The HBO series The Last of Us averaged 32 million views per episode. These video games were multigenerational and beloved by many worldwide and, like the Sims, have pre-existing fanbases keen to watch these adaptations.

There are multiple reasons why this is becoming more commonplace

As stated, popular video game franchises usually guarantee a large audience. To this point, gaming is also becoming more mainstream. Were it not for the growing popularity of esports, Netflix would not have started making the League of Legends-based animated TV hit Arcane in 2021. As gaming becomes more serious business, we will see more titles turned into films or series.

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Video games are also incorporating more cinematic features, aesthetics, and narratives, thanks to advances in technologies like AI and augmented and virtual reality. This means that they more easily translate to the big screen. In fact, more actors are choosing interactive entertainment, lending their voice and their image to video games (Remi Malek, Ashley Tisdale, and Will Poulter, to name a few).

The Dark Pictures Anthology is a good example of a video game series that could easily be converted to film, thanks to the fleshed-out storylines and sophisticated visual effects. This new trend in gaming will help foster the relationship between media production companies and game developers.

Hollywood should continue adapting successful video game franchises into hit films and series. It is a strong alternative to regurgitating, then subsequently butchering, beloved classics from days gone by. So long as film production companies are mindful to identify, engage with, and honour the existing fandom, they will be rewarded with millions of viewers should they continue to join forces with the video gaming world.