(Credit: René Ramos; Motive Studios, FromSoftware, Remedy Entertainment, Rockstar Games, CD Projekt RED)
Story-rich video games are difficult to condense into a two-hour-long film, but they've fared much better in the television realm.Netflix’sArcane,Castlevania,Cyberpunk Edgerunners,andThe Witcherprove that episodic video game adaptations work. Beyond these, there’s a new multi-part adaptation that’staken the world by storm(Opens in a new window)and set a new standard:The Last of Us.
HBO’s adaptation of the popular PlayStation seriesrespects its source material and builds upon the story as opposed to running away from it. The show gives you more narrative context, answers questions that may have popped into your head as you made your way through the games, and raises the stakes. The changes are exciting, and they've led to one of thegreatest television episodes ever produced(Opens in a new window).
Other games can benefit from the care and consideration that HBO gaveThe Last of Us. We’ve selected five that would be perfect for the channel that has become synonymous with “prestige television.”
Our Favorite Games That Should Become HBO Series
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Control
In Control, protagonist Jesse Faden follows a telepathic message that leads her to the Oldest House, the base of operations for the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC). There, she stumbles upon a corpse with a pistol by its side: the body of the FBC's former director. Jesse picks up the weapon, becomes the new FBC director, and hunts The Hiss, a mysterious paranormal entity that is infecting and killing the other bureau members.
The Oldest House is a setting that tells a story in every room you enter. Sometimes it’s strange posters on the walls; at other times, it's a projector running on a loop to share exposition. Pair that odd vibe with characters that speak in unsettling cadences, and you have a TV adaption that's a fusion ofSeveranceandTwin Peaks.As a TV series,Control should have a Lynchian awkwardness that's mixed with the horrors of bureaucratic corporate America.
Cyberpunk’s Mike Pondsmith Drags Us Into the Dark FutureCyberpunk 2077
We've already seen the Cyberpunk brand venture into the world of television with Netflix’s hitanimeCyberpunk Edgerunners. In fact, it was so successful that it led to increased sales ofCyberpunk 2077, which is the goal of adapting any game into another medium.Edgerunnersfollows the rise and fall of a street kid named David and all the complications that come with leading a life of crime in Night City.
However, a Cyberpunk TV show shouldn't simply adapt an existing story. Night City is huge, so there's no shortage of potential tales to tell in its neon-soaked streets. Cyberpunk's primed for an anthology series that visits a different corner of the futuristic dystopia in each episode.
Dead Space
First released in 2008 before receiving a stellar remake,Dead Spacesees you play as system engineer Isaac Clark. He and a rescue team board the USG Ishimura to investigate why the space frigate has gone radio silent. They soon discover that the ship is overrun by undead monsters known as Necromorphs. These creatures are zombies with a fun twist: You can’t dispose of them with classic headshots, so you must cut off their limbs.
Dead Space takes place entirely in the Ishimura, a setting with more character than almost any speaking role. As you navigate the ship’s blood-soaked halls, you find audio recordings and diaries of the now-undead crew that fleshes out what happened before Isaac and company boarded.
A Dead Space show should be a tense, claustrophobic, horror drama. With a TV adaptation, we can expand the story beyond the ship. Instead of listening to an uncovered audio log, we can see flashbacks of a pristine Ishimura juxtaposed against its present, bloody nightmare.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring has a narrative commonality that it shares with developer FromSoftware's otheraction-RPGtitles: the in-game story isn't explicitly explained. Every item you pick up—whether it's a weapon, obscure stone, or talisman—has a history that you can read in the game’s menu, but it’s up to you to piece everything together.
Fortunately, there is a real hero doing the Elden Lord’s work if you don't want to go that route. A YouTuber namedVaatiVidya(Opens in a new window)has hours of Elden Ring videos that unify the game's scattered lore, creating informed hypotheses on characters’ relationships and downfalls. His work is essential for understanding Elden Ring’s story, and it lays the groundwork for a potential TV adaptation.
With that in mind, it would be in a Hollywood studio's best interest to set the show in the era prior to the game's start, following the characters that later become the bosses you encounter. The template for this potential show is obvious:Game of Thrones. AGame of Thrones-style drama featuring Elden Ring's brilliantly designed creatures and environments would be incredible—and could enhance the experience of playing the game.
Red Dead Redemption
Red Dead Redemption revels in its Old West film influences, despite possessing the modern, brash flair of a Rockstar Studio game. The first Red Dead Redemption (2010) follows outlaw John Marston as he hunts down and kills the members of his former gang so he can free his family from government capture.Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018)is a prequel that focuses on Arthur Morgan, his outlaws, and a younger, more naive Marston.
An epic narrative told over the span of two time periods with two protagonists reminds us of another huge HBO show:True Detective. A Red Dead Redemption show that bounces between Marston and Morgan, playing out the end of the cowboy age, would be an absolute hit.
Coming Soon: More Game Adaptations in the Works
Are you wondering why Fallout,God of War,Ghosts of Tsushima, orSifuaren’t on this list? There's a simple answer: They already have projects in the works. Hopefully, their adaptations will receive the same thoughtful care asThe Last of Us. Though, we must admit that there's a certain charm when an adaptation descends into ridiculousnightmare fuel(Opens in a new window).
Curious about upcoming games that could make great HBO shows? Check outthe best video games coming out in 2023.
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