6 Steam Successes Worthy Of A Live-Action Adaptation

The film industry has slowly started to see what a well-adapted video game story can do at the box-office, and there have already been a number of success stories of films based on, or inspired by, games.

Obvious examples are The Super Mario Movie and the Sonic The Hedgehog trilogy, though we’ve also seen some indie games get the big-screen treatment, like Iron Lung which surpassed all expectations during its limited cinematic run.

This week content creator Alanah Pearce launched an independent production company called Charred Pictures, which aims to bring more film adaptations of indie games to life starting with Dead Take and Faith: Unholy Trinity.

With that in mind below are six games plucked from the Steam store that we hope to one day see on the big-screen, whether it be in live-action, animated, or other creative format.

1. Hades

Starting off strong we have Hades, Supergiant’s critically-acclaimed roguelike that had gamers gripped for weeks when it first launched back in 2020.

Zagreus’ quest to escape his father’s realm would make for an epic adventure film audiences could enjoy, combining flashy action scenes, striking plot twists and a soundtrack performed by Orpheus himself

It’d be a challenge to adapt a roguelikes’ repetitive run system but we\re sure there’s at least one aspiring filmmaker out there who’s up to the task, and if all goes well there’s already a sequel to be adapted next.

2. Firewatch

Firewatch starts out as a charming walking-simulator with a limited but compelling cast of damaged characters finding solace in the great outdoors.

As the game goes things get slightly more sinister, with the cosy atmosphere shifting into something spooky, and a mystery that left many gamers up at night, us included.

With the right pacing and perhaps a bit more drama Firewatch would make an awesome thriller, and one we think audiences would get a lot of enjoyment out of.

Panic, Campo Santo

3. Don’t Starve

Staying in the great outdoors we have Don’t Starve, which has all the makings of an excellent horror film, or perhaps a TV series instead.

Other films like The Blair Witch Project and The Ritual made walking through the woods harrowing, and Don’t Starve would feel right at home in that sub-genre.

4. Hotline Miami

After mulling it over we feel a Hotline Miami feel would simply have to follow in the footsteps of the John Wick series in terms of action.

Every level of the game feels like an action movie already, and with some clever camerawork you could definitely make some of the shootout scenes feel like they were ripped straight out of the game.

It’d be interesting from a story perspective too, as it’s set in an alternative future where the Cold War had a much different ending, meaning there’s a lot of room for interesting set-dressing.

5. Celeste

Celeste would be a tricky film to make, but it wouldn’t be art if it was easy right?

While the game is fondly remembered for its tightly-controlled platforming and ascending levels of difficulty it’s also a meaningful tale about overcoming mental illness, as the game’s protagonist Madeline is battling her inner demons as she climbs her way to the top of Celeste mountain.

Maddy Makes Games

That raw, emotional storytelling would lend itself extremely well to the big-screen, with the only hurdle being the style the film would be made in. Live-action would make the most sense.

6. Hollow Knight

Last but not least we have Hollow Knight. Like some of the previous games on this list Hollow Knight would be a tricky one to adapt, but one we’d very much like to see anyway.

It’d have to be animated of course, and one of the most important decisions that the film would have to make is whether The Knight would have a voice or stay mute. You could argue both sides for the purposes of this list. We think the supporting cast should be the only ways with dialogue, allowing for quieter moments where audiences can simply take in the gorgeously twisted world the game is set in.

Another option would be to skip Hollow Knight entirely and jump straight to the plot of Hollow Knight: SIlksong, which would be just as cool to see but ever-so-slightly disappointing at the same time.