Take-Two Interactive has licensed some of its video game IPs to be adapted into films, according to an MCV article. Take-Two Interactive is the parent company whose subsidiaries include 2K Games, the company behind the popular Borderlands and BioShock franchises, and Rockstar Games, the developer of the critically acclaimed Grand Theft Auto series and Red Dead Redemption, which has sequel coming later this year.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has reportedly acknowledged the historically “spotty” transition from video games to film, which is why Take-Two will not be using any of its own money to fund the adaptations. For example, last year’s Warcraft and Assassin’s Creed were both panned by critics. Instead, Take-Two will license off the rights to make the adaptations to other companies while retaining creative control over the final products.
It has not been announced which games or series have been licensed to be adapted. A Borderlands movie is already in development and has been since 2015. BioShock was once set to be adapted into a film, but the project was cancelled in 2013. Maybe this project will be revived in a new licensing deal? Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption and L.A. Noire are both very story-centric games, which may lend them well to film adaptations. Then there’s always Grand Theft Auto, one of the most popular video game franchises of all time. According to recent earnings call transcript, Grand Theft Auto V has sold 75 million units since its release in 2013. Regardless of how it would be received by critics, there’s probably big money to be made in a Grand Theft Auto film adaptation.