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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Mostly—but not universally. The old video game adaptation curse is no longer a useful blanket description, especially for television: several recent series have earned strong reviews and found audiences beyond game fans. Film results are more uneven, and even acclaimed shows can divide critics and viewers. The evidence points to a changed pattern, not a guarantee that the next adaptation will work.
Why television has made the curse harder to defend
Arcane, The Last of Us and Fallout are prominent examples of game-based television that received strong critical responses. Rotten Tomatoes’ guide to video game TV shows, published December 18, 2025, also includes poorly received series, so the success stories do not mean that every adaptation is now good. Its scores are a dated snapshot and can change.
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The same guide illustrates why “well received” needs a definition. In its December 18, 2025 snapshot, The Last of Us Season 2 had a 92% critics score and a 37% audience score, while Fallout Season 2 had 96% from both groups. Those figures describe different kinds of response; neither pair is a complete or permanent measure of a show’s quality. See Rotten Tomatoes’ video game TV series guide.
Films show that “success” depends on whose response counts
Game-based films have also produced sharply different critic and audience reactions. On Rotten Tomatoes’ current video game movies guide, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is listed at 86% from critics and 94% from audiences. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is listed at 58% from critics and 93% from audiences. That contrast suggests strong audience approval for both, but a more divided critical response to the latter—not one verdict on the whole category. The guide is dynamic, and its scores may change: Rotten Tomatoes’ video game movies guide.
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What successful adaptations may be getting right
There is no demonstrated formula that guarantees a hit. The following are plausible advantages highlighted in reporting and industry commentary, rather than proven causes.
Stories built around characters can reach beyond players
Discussing The Last of Us, the Associated Press reported that viewers beyond the game’s existing fans responded to its relationships and emotional story. Michael Tucker, creator of Lessons from the Screenplay, said the focus on character arcs and relationships made the story “really accessible and universal.” A legible human conflict can give a new viewer a way into a fictional world without requiring prior knowledge of its game.
The format needs room for the story
A television series can develop characters and relationships over multiple episodes; a film has less time and must compress. That is a useful distinction, not a rule that television is inherently better. The right format depends on what the particular story needs to preserve, expand or simplify.
Creative collaboration can help adaptation make deliberate choices
The AP reported that The Last of Us game creator Neil Druckmann was closely involved in the series and argued that adaptation requires openness to what stays and what changes. Game voice actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson also acted in the show. These details show one way game expertise was represented in this production; they do not prove that creator involvement or fidelity alone produces success. Druckmann told the AP: “No one could have anticipated this, this reaction and how positive it’s been and how broad it’s been in its reach.”
Reaching beyond core fans expands the possible audience
Ronald Santa-Cruz, Research Manager and Games Subject Matter Expert at Ampere Analysis, said: “The most successful adaptations tend to combine a clearly defined story with a format suited to live action and an addressable audience that extends beyond core fans.” That is industry commentary about a pattern, not a controlled finding that any one element causes success.
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The AP’s March 2023 report offers a dated example of the scale a hit could reach: Nielsen and HBO data put the U.S. audience for the first-season The Last of Us premiere at 4.7 million viewers and its finale at 8.2 million during the original 2023 broadcast and streaming period. These are U.S. figures for that season, not current or global audience totals. Read the Associated Press report on why the adaptation resonated beyond gamers.
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The industry is investing in more adaptations. IBC reported in January 2026, citing Ampere Analysis, that 272 video game titles were greenlit for adaptation between 2019 and 2025. The report said commissions averaged 30% annual growth since 2019, peaked at 62 in 2024, and were 69% live action in 2025. These figures refer to commissions and greenlights over the stated period—not completed releases, audience approval or a success rate. A larger pipeline means more attempts, not that every project will be made or well received. See IBC’s report on adaptation commissions.
There is also evidence of possible impact in the other direction: screen adaptations may send viewers back to the games. Ampere Analysis reported in September 2025 that Fallout player numbers rose by up to 490%. “Up to” describes a maximum headline finding; the published release page provides limited methodological detail, so the figure should not be treated as a universal uplift or compared directly with television viewership. It measures a different outcome from review scores or audience totals. See Ampere Analysis’ release on adaptations and game player numbers.
So, is the curse broken?
As a blanket claim that video game adaptations cannot work, the curse has been broken—particularly on television, where multiple well-received examples now make the stereotype misleading. As a claim that adaptations reliably succeed across formats, audiences and titles, it has not. Reviews, audience scores, viewership, game-player changes and greenlights answer different questions; none alone establishes a universal turnaround.
A stronger test would be a sustained run of well-received adaptations across film and television, with success that holds across more than one audience measure. The evidence available now supports a narrower conclusion: adaptations can succeed often enough to be taken seriously, but every new project still has to earn its response.
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