Video game franchises that have been turned into a film often times don’t pan out too well, both with gamers and at the box office. Enough publishers have partnered with the film industry and created subsequent movies over time that it has become a topic all publishers have to discuss.

The Take-Two Interactive brand is comprised of Rockstar Games, 2K, and 2K Sports. This trio of gaming brands possess some of the most powerful and popular names in the gaming industry today, but they have yet to take the deep plunge into the world of a major motion picture.

It’s safe to say that if a film based off of Grand Theft Auto, Borderlands, Red Dead Redemption or even BioShock was created, there would be an audience ready to greet it. Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick spoke about the thought process of the company when it comes to thinking about taking one of their brands, like the aforementioned four, and turning it into a movie.

“For us to license motion pictures, we have been very selective because the economic opportunity is limited and the creative risk is meaningful. Said another way, if a bad movie is made it may hurt our underlying intellectual property, and if a good movie is made the actual value of those license fees is not enormous. So we have to be very, very selective,” told GI.

Take-Two Interactive is tactful and careful with their IP in the video game space already, so there probably isn’t room for something like a movie to take up the firm’s attention and resources. When you think about Rockstar Games, they haven’t released a new game since 2013 (remasters not withstanding). and it would be a shame to see a Red Dead Redemption film get in the way, in any fashion, of a new game being made by the studio.

Ubisoft is trying their hand at the movie business and is doing so in a big way with their first major release later this year. Assassin’s Creed will debut this coming December and is targeting a PG-13 rating. Initial signs are positive for how the movie is coming together, but we’ll all know how the industry’s next film will fare soon enough.

Image courtesy of Rockstar Games.

About Steve Ruygrok

Gaming, Spirits, and Craft Beer enthusiast. If you say you don't like beer, then you just haven't had the right type yet. Great spirits keep away the bad ones. Video games are kind of amazing, just do it...or something like that.

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