Fallout is the latest video game franchise to receive a live-action adaptation, and early reactions have been mostly positive. Perhaps other studios and developers should take notes of how Amazon Prime was able to pull off a successful series and avoid the mistakes Paramount made with Halo.
Live-action adaptations can be a hit-and-miss, but Gears of War is the one game fans have been begging for and Microsoft better not drop the ball once again.
Amazon Prime’s Fallout Could Influence Gears of War Movie
Translating video games into another format can be an extremely daunting task, but many have succeeded and proved that it is possible to honor the source material without deviating too far. Jonathan Nolan served as the director for the latest Amazon series and immediately felt the pressure after the success of HBO’s The Last of Us which gave him the confidence that these stories can be told in less interactive media.
Its fucking hilarious how Cyberpunk Edgerunners, The Last of Us show & The Fallout show all caused massive increases in player counts for games of their respective franchises and then there's Halo.
Poor Halo…
in which it got no increase because the show stinks lol
— Michael (@LegacyKillaHD) April 14, 2024
However, not every adaptation has appealed to the gaming community. Microsoft and Paramount’s show may look and feel like a perfect adaptation but the creative decisions behind certain moments caused an outrage in the community. The show is the epitome of how to not adapt a fan-favorite franchise and should not be repeated for Gears of War.
The one thing that Paramount and Amazon Prime did with their respective video game adaptations is that neither of them were faithful adaptations, not entirely at least. Bethesda CEO Todd Howard agreed to a live-action show as long as it wouldn’t be a recreation but more of an expansion of the existing game series and Nolan delivered.
Halo Is the Polar Opposite of Fallout
Unfortunately, the Halo series reached a little too far in a desperate attempt to appeal to a newer audience by desecrating the source material. Certain key characters were drastically changed and each deviation is a major headscratcher for long-time fans. The player counts of the recent successful series have shown a great surge, but Xbox’s mascot is struggling still.
Perhaps Microsoft should dig deep into the roots of Gears of War and recruit the creator himself, Cliff Bleszinski, to help develop a live-action movie in earnest. Blesinski has been explicit about his will to return if he ever received a call, maybe his contributions could stretch to a different format.
The filmmakers of The Last of Us were a combination of talented directors who are fans of the game and the original creator and the result speaks for itself. Video game adaptations have a hand in promoting the games and increasing the player counts, a symbiotic relationship between games and movies can appeal to the general audience and fans.
Quality can heavily influence the general franchise, if fans believe a show or game is awful then that thinking will apply to everything related to it. Nolan is a fan of the Fallout games and wanted to do right by it, and fans are eating well with a good show and terrific games, something everyone hopes to see with Gears of War one day.
What are your thoughts about recent video game adaptations? Let us know in the comments below!
