Why Hollywood game adaptations need a YA-inspired business model

19.10.2023 - 20:45 / gamedeveloper.com / Pedro Pascal / Bella Ramsey

HBO TV series The Last of Us, inspired by the Naughty Dog series of the same name, has done...something to a lot of the game industry executives I've spoken with in 2023. Interest in adapting video game properties has been growing for a few years, with niche titles like Disco Elysium being scooped up and imminent projects like a Fallout TV show about to land, but the Pedro Pascal/Bella Ramsey-helmed series seems to be sparking a shift at the executive level.

And deservedly so! The show's pretty good, the third episode was a wonderful reimagining of a key level from the original game and I will celebrate any show that puts actor Anna Torv back on the map.

But if you're a game developer hoping to sign a sweet film or TV adaptation deal—you might want to start thinking a few steps ahead. Just like in the world of triple-A video games, budgets for high-profile TV and film projects are spiraling higher and higher—and the risks of failure are increasing with them.

The world of entertainment is a risky business no matter what field you're in, but 100 years of Hollywood history has given us plenty of examples of how companies can build sustainable production models. And if you're looking for a model that will get your game a huge fanbase, you don't need to look back that far—just to the Young Adult novel adaptation boom of the 2010s.

A friend back in the entertainment business was the one who tipped me off to the difference between video game adaptations and YA adaptations. Video games adaptations, she pointed out, lend themselves to big-budget spectacles with high VFX budgets. The ballooning costs of bringing a series like Halo to life demand increased spending on high-profile actors and expensive marketing campaigns to draw in big audiences that can secure a return on investment.

YA adaptations (even high profile ones like The Hunger Games) did not carry the same budgetary demands. Many studios brought beloved books to the screen by following a model that roughly went like this: take an up-and-coming actor who will command a lower salary. Pair them with an older actor who can provide some audience draw. Combine that with a modest production budget in a region with robust tax credits, and even a film of moderate quality stood a good chance of turning a profit.

Don't just take my word for it. The numbers speak for themselves. Here are the budgets and worldwide gross revenue for some high-profile science fiction adaptations that video games might be targeting. I'm also listing actors who were part of the above formula

But those are just the science fiction adaptations. The YA business boom of the 2010s also featured a number of successful low-cost dramas:

(For those not familiar with Hollywood biz analysis, you should