The video game is growing ever closer with Hollywood, evidenced by how Tribeca Games featured League of Legends last fall, and how Activision Blizzard started its own movie studio. Much like how comic book movies are making it big, the success of these upcoming video-game themed films, all expected to release this year, could hint to an era of renewed popularity and fandom for these video game brands.
Angry Birds
The video game phenomenon is headed to the big screen, and even though these birds don’t say a lot in the game, they have plenty of personality in the film. In order to help further promote the movie, a giant balloon in the likeness of the main character “Red” was seen in last year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Furthermore, Angry Birds movie characters will be featured in a Lego Dimensions toy/game expansion pack later this year. Starring Jason Sudeikis, along with actors like Bill Hader and Maya Rudolph, Angry Birds is set to take flight on May 20th.
Ratchet & Clank
The first Ratchet & Clank game hit the scene in 2002, so it seems like it’s long past due time for a movie. The animated film, which details how the duo first met and got together, was originally supposed to release last year, but was delayed to 2016. It turned out to be OK, because it gave Insomniac Studios more time to work on its new movie-inspired Ratchet & Clank game, which completely retells events from the original game and will launch alongside the movie. We can expect some big promotional tie-ins as we draw closer to the April 29th release.
John Wick 2
John Wick, the 2014 movie starring Keenu Reeves, features a skilled hitman who comes out of retirement to single-handedly take on the mob after his dog is killed. Since the movie’s release, John Wick has appeared in the heist-themed video game Payday 2 (developed by Starbreeze) as a special add-on character. The sequel went into production last year, and Starbreeze was tapped to develop a virtual reality game that will bridge events between the two movies together, making John Wick a movie, character, video game, and experience all at the same time.
Warcraft
Warcraft is perhaps one of the most recognizable titles in recent history, given the incredible success of the massively-multiplayer online role-playing game, World of Warcraft. It features a deep and rich story, featuring an ongoing battle between Orcs and Humans set in a fantasy world called Azeroth. So, it almost seems absurd that there hasn’t been a Warcraft movie much sooner. The movie, which hits theaters June 10th, shows how the war began. Although it isn’t being developed by the recently formed Activision Blizzard Studios, its success acts as a critical step as the video game publisher gets into the movie business.
Assassin’s Creed
Apart from starring Michael Fassbender, and the fact that it’s based on a hit game franchise, not a lot is known about the upcoming Assassin’s Creed movie. The game takes place in a world where individuals can revisit the lives of ancestors through genetic memory, and focuses specifically on a secret war between the Assassins and Templar, who are both after powerful technological artifacts.
Fassbender plays a character named Callum Lynch and his 15th-century ancestor Aguilar — both original characters created for the movie. However, it wouldn’t be out of the question for publisher Ubisoft to find a way to way to add Aguilar to its long-running game series through digital films. Ubisoft is no stranger to the Hollywood, after working closely with James Cameron to make an Avatar video game and creating three short films collectively called Assassin’s Creed: Lineage. More recently, Ubisoft worked with Amazon to make Tom Clancy’s The Division: Agent Origins, a digital film based on the upcoming game, and has partnered with SpectreVision to make virtual reality content.
Recent games include Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, which received a Jack the Ripper campaign expansion in December, and the platforming game Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India released last week.
