While video game adaptations have been on a steady resurgence for some time, 2024 may have been one of the busiest years yet. Prime Video boasted Fallout, Like a Dragon, andSecret Levelwhile Netflix toutedArcanesfinal season andTomb Raider: Legend of Lara Croft.Sonic 3is currently killing it in theaters, andBorderlandswell, it came out. And thats just the high-profile stuff: you mightve forgotten or not known that Dead Cellsgot an animated series over in France, or that Paramount put out a show for Ark: Survival Evolved,which was surprisingly fun. Its safe to say that Hollywood is now hoping video games can become a new profit driver, especially since some of these shows have picked up major award nominations and wins and 2023s Mariomovie made over $1 billion in theaters. In fact, Marios success led some to wonder if game adaptations would replace superhero movies as the new hotness, which seemed to be losing their shine prior to Deadpool & Wolverinethis past summer. Like how 2025 will test if superheroes are truly back, video games have some heavy hitters that may determine how things go these next few years: at time of writing, we know to expect the Devil May Cry adaptation and new seasons for The Last of Us andCastlevania: Nocturne, plusMinecraft, Mortal Kombat 2, Five Nights at Freddys 2,andUntil Dawnon the big screen. Other previously announced adaptations forWatch Dogs, Among Us,and whatever else are currently TBD, if they even still exist at all. Netflix In some ways, things havent changed; go back a decade or two, and youll find plenty of games had movies or TV shows announced that ultimately never went anywhere. (Case in point, we learned in November a movie based on the Splinter Cellgamesfirst announced waaaaaaaay back in2005was dead.) Theres always a chance Netflix doesnt make those Gears of WarorBioShockmovies it previously announced, ditto CapcomsStreet Fighterfilm, and so on, since thats just how things roll sometimes. But what might give this new resurgence of game adaptations a better overall chance is several developers being more involved this time around; Nintendo actively had a hand in theMariomovie and its upcomingLegend of Zeldafilm, Capcom basically pitchedDevil May CryLast of Usseries. Having the developers in the kitchen isnt essential,but as Riot Games guiding hand for Arcane showed, it can be an extra sell to fans of those games to know the creatives behind them arent just sitting back and cashing a check. Another way in which game adaptations have changed? Many games are tangibly benefitting from these hitting the small or silver screen. Both Falloutand Last of Usfamously saw spikes in sales and player numbers after their respective jumps to a new medium, and even Borderlands benefitted, despite its movie being a massive non-starter. Not every developer has been entirely forthcoming as to the impact of these expansions, but what results there are show everybody can win from this. Its something game publishers have picked on upShadow Generations got a DLC pack featuring Keanu Reeves voicing the antihero hedgehog as he does inSonic 3, andEpic Games put out character skins forUnreal TournamentinFortniteahead of the long-dormant shooters episode inSecret Level.Making games takes a lot of time nowadays, and as the number of game adaptations grow, both will end up playing off the other. Some Secret Levelepisodes focused on games that had either recently come out or wont be out for another few years; its divisive, sci-fi horror-themed episode for Pac-Manended up being a surprise lead-in for next years action-adventure titleShadow Labyrinth. Back in October, Sony released a remake forUntil Dawnthat seemed to fizzle in sales, but will likely gain more traction when its movie hits in April 2025 (or whenever it gets its first trailer). By that same token, its easy to imagine Naughty Dog spent the last five years remaking the twoLast of Usgamesso viewers of the show would fork over $60 or $70 to see how Ellie and Joels stories played out (and differ) in video game form. And knowing Nintendo, it probably doesnt have a Mario game or three explicitly made to coincide with 2026s Mario, but it certainly wouldnt hurt to have those on hand, right? Netflix / Powerhouse Animation As is the case with superhero movies, game adaptations will go through a trial and error period as developers and Hollywood try to find some kind of happy place. It wont be without without its lossesright now, its not entirely clear if Riot will get to make good on its promise of Arcanefollow-ups, and its equally telling that Castlevania: Nocturnedirectors Sam and Adam Deats have explicitly called on fans to watch season two next year as the crew waits to find out if theyve been renewed. Both the game and film/TV industries have been notably quick to bet big, and in several cases, came up shorter than they (or anyone) couldve anticipated. Well just have to wait and see how things play outheres hoping such a collapse of the games-to-TV/film pipeline doesnt take either the developer or film studio with it. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.