In recent years, some of the video gaming industry's most iconic titles have been turned into television series or movies, also known as video game adaptations. Adaptations have also become more popular than ever due to a combination of factors. 

However, not all adaptations have been successful, which often frustrates moviegoers, especially people who enjoyed playing the video game it was based on and had high expectations. 

With that said, let's dive straight in and take a closer look at which video game adaptations typically have the highest fan expectations. 

Why are expectations these days so high for video game adaptations?

One of the main reasons why video game adaptations are so popular these days and translate well into movies or TV series is because they already have a huge fan base. 

In other words, they have conquered the gaming world, so they should also be massive hits when they are translated into other forms of media. 

For example, whether the hugely successful video game is turned into a blockbuster Hollywood movie or original television series on the world's biggest streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+ or Paramount+, it should be just as good as the original game. 

In the iGaming industry, for example, software providers and game development studios seem to have found a way to adapt iconic movies and TV shows into online casino slot machines. 

However, video game adaptations don't always go as planned in the movie world. 

Another way of looking at it is when you read a novel and then see the movie adaptation of that novel, most people prefer the novel. Even today, around 90% of people who read the novel first and then see the movie still say that the novel was far better than the movie. 

Similar things happen when video games are made into movies/TV series. In the mid-90s and then well into the 2010s, many epic adaptation failures were produced, and they were so disastrous that they put people off watching video game adaptions. They damaged this niche sector of the digital entertainment industry. 

Some of the worst video game adaptations ever made in the history of film and television are the following:

• Super Mario Bros. (1993)

• Monster Hunter (2020)

• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

• Street Fighter (1994)

• Double Dragon (1994)

• Tekken (2009)

• DOA: Dead or Alive (2006)

• Doom (2005)

• Max Payne (2008)

There have also been many other epic failures, such as Far Cry (2008), Silent Hill: Revelation (2012), Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), Alone in the Dark (2005), and House of the Dead (2003), to name just a few. People who loved playing these games and then watched the movies were hugely disappointed.

Video game development studios have learned that if they partner with a studio to adapt it to the big screen, they must stay as true to the video game as possible and develop the characters and storylines that moviegoers will resonate with. 

Which video game adaptations have the highest fan expectations?

These days, the video game adaptations with the highest fan expectations are typically the most successful franchises, such as The Last of Us, Borderlands,  Detective Pikachu, Sonic the Hedgehog, Assassin's Creed, Lara Croft, Final Fantasy, and Werewolves Within. 

Other top video game franchises that also have high fan expectations are Monster Hunter, Super Mario Bros., Twisted Metal, Roblox, Five Nights at Freddies, Arcane, Resident Evil, Fallout, and countless others. 

Final thoughts

The studios that embark on video game adaptations and have had the most success in recent years have learned from previous mistakes that other studios have made over the past few decades to ensure they don't make the same mistakes. 

Over the coming years, we can look forward to some amazing new high-budget adaptations, and they should be an instant success, provided they stay as true to the original storyline as possible. 

However, the video game characters and storylines don't always naturally translate well to the big screen, so studios must continue to be creative to ensure their adaptations are a success.