5 Free-to-Play Games We'd Like To See Made Into Movies

Jason Winter
By Jason Winter, News Editor
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Tetris_2

A Tetris movie was just green-lighted. No, seriously. Tetris. A movie.

Now, just because a few contracts have been signed and hands shaken doesn't mean we'll be seeing falling Z-blocks in theaters next holiday season, or ever, but it got us wondering... what free-to-play games would make for great movies, or at least entertaining, so-bad-they're-good movies?

For the most part, I'll avoid games that already have a robust storyline, like most RPGs, or games based on existing properties, like Hearthstone or The Old Republic. (That said... I sorta wish they'd gone with an Old Republic trilogy instead of Episodes VII-IX.) Instead, let's see what games with minimal to no storylines could be made into full-length blockbusters:

team-fortress-2Team Fortress 2

Valve could probably already put together close to two hours of footage of the loveable TF2 scamps in action, but until summer's Expiration Date short, we hadn't seen them in anything resembling a coherent story. And now, we want more.

Unlike most things on this list, this is one that could actually break into the mainstream, with a theatrical release, commercials, mass-market toy line, and so on. I don't think it would do business on par with a Disney or Pixar film, and you might debate whether if would be a good thing if TF2 went too mainstream, but come on... you'd love to see RED vs. BLU on the big screen, right?

Planetside-2-13PlanetSide 2

The Forgelight engine is nice, but SOE's also capable of doing slick trailers for their games. So why not take the battle for Auraxis to the next level?

PlanetSide 2 is all about three factions fighting each other, but it stands to reason that a movie would have to have one primary character from all three, and you probably wouldn't want them trying to kill each other throughout the film. How about this: A new and plentiful auraxium mine is found. Naturally, all three factions send their forces to seize it. After an FX-heavy, three-way firefight, our three protagonists are trapped together – cave-in, maybe? – and decide to bury the hatchet long enough to find a way out.

Once they're out, they each find they have a problem. The TR has taken the mine, and the NC hero killed a TR soldier, who happens to be the brother of the TR commander in charge of the facility, who wants her dead at all costs. The TR hero, an upright and dependable sort, is fine with fighting the NC but won't condone cold-blooded murder, which puts him at odds with his commander. And the VS soldier – an infiltrator, naturally – discovers Some Terrible Secret(TM) about the facility – something involving way-too-powerful alien tech, perhaps – and sees it as his mission to destroy it, even if it goes against the orders of VS leadership. Naturally, he'll need help, and the closest he has to allies in TR-held territory are... yep, the other two.

They'd have to write around the whole nanite regeneration issue, to give some punch to the concept of death – maybe the thing the VS soldier discovers interferes with the resurrection technology – but it seems like a reasonably solid concept.

CBwarframeWarframe

If you're more in the mood for a “solo hero” type of flick, Warframe might be suitable, despite its focus on multi-player action. And it would probably be a primarily action-heavy flick – I mean, you're a freaking space ninja, and that doesn't exactly scream “Shakespearean tragedy.”

As the tenno are awakened from cybersleep to fight a war, the movie would mostly be a hacking/slashing-fest, with just enough story to tie the parts together and give our hero a reason to move from one band of enemies to the next. They could draw from the various mission types to at least mix up the objectives a bit, and maybe our hero would find himself working alongside the Grineer or Corpus, as per an infestation/invasion mission.

It wouldn't win any Oscars, but a Warframe movie could be a super enjoyable action movie, filled to the brim with ludicrous moves and crazy-bloody dismemberments. Hey, I'd watch that.

act3_screenshot4Path of Exile

Granted, there's a decent story in PoE, though it tends to be overshadowed by the ARPG's excellent gameplay. It's grim, brooding, and decidedly mature, and it would make for a perfectly watch-it-in-the-dark film adaptation. I'll admit to not being too familiar with the lore, but PoE fans, see how this strikes you:

I'd base the game around the concept of leagues. A number of exiles – all with unusual powers, naturally – are dumped on Wraeclast and forced to survive against the land's dangers... as well as each other. There's a time limit, of course, as there would be in any league; maybe an unfightable enemy swallows up the land behind them as they go, a la Lost's black smoke. In a way, it would be like an adult-themed Hunger Games, with the winner receiving fame and glory – and probably the promise of a way off the island, which is snatched away at the last moment.

Does our lone survivor escape? Does he smite down the great powers that oppose him and claim his rightful prize? Or is he thrust back to the beginning, forced to repeat the agonizing process all over again? You'll have to watch to find out.

ArcheAge QueuesArcheAge

It doesn't matter what the movie is about. But you have to wait in line for six hours to get in.

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About the Author

Jason Winter
Jason Winter, News Editor

Jason Winter is a veteran gaming journalist, he brings a wide range of experience to MMOBomb, including two years with Beckett Media where he served as the editor of the leading gaming magazine Massive Online Gamer. He has also written professionally for several gaming websites.

More Stories by Jason Winter

Discussion (17)

YAWSEP 9 years ago
It should be great if they made a movie to League of Legends, (not animated)

MissLovelyLadyLumps 9 years ago
I'm completely hooked on TF2 and I love it, but who in the world would want it to be a movie???
It just doesn't make sense. It would be pointless and awkward, not to mention disappointing for fans like me.

If any game should have a movie it should be APB: Reloaded.

View 2 replies
acmintz469 9 years ago
Ha. Arche Age xD that a good one.

for me would love to see the games of talltales games that even tho they already look like a movie they have great story

1. the walking dead Season 1 and 2
2. Wolf amoung us.
3. Jade Dynasty ( mmo PWE, i was a fan of the Manga novel but it SEEMS it was canceled. since i cant find new translated published.)
4. tribes ascend ( a type of movie like Ender games.)
5. guild Wars 2

that are my personal one. there are many more that i think they deserve a movie. but the one i can think of that would be a great hit, are this one.

ApacheGhost 9 years ago
1. APB Reloaded
2. Warframe
3. Firefall
4. Borderlands
5. Brink

View 1 reply
Macguffinstv 9 years ago
While I don't doubt SOE can make a good cinematic, I think Blur was the main reason for their best cinematic.

There are plenty of F2P and P2P games out there that can work as films. All it depends on is the writer and director.

Bic Boi 9 years ago
HAHAHAHA ArcheAge..oh my god, sick burn.

XevianO92 9 years ago
For me it would be:

1.League of Legends.
2.RIFT (Have u seen its lore its awesome)
3.POE
4.Skyforge
5. AION?

Also No GW2 does not qualify for this since its not f2p game :)

Kuruo 9 years ago
The lols with the archage post.

But a movie for league of legends would be pretty cool, even if it was just an hour or even 30 minutes. Seeing how they are redoing stories and stuff they movie could actually have a good story with many character appearances.

Mamson 9 years ago
waiting for World of Warcraft movie

View 1 reply
freshundead 9 years ago
League of Legends makes some great short vids already imagine a full on movie, would be bad ass!

fromhelll 9 years ago
There are games that could easily be made into a movie. I can see POE work as a movie, IDK about FPS as a movie since there isn't mych of a story, it's just shooting , but Team Fortress maybe could work sort of like an Expandables kind of movie. I wouldnt go as far as to say i "want" the movie to be made, all the movies that are based on a game that i've watched havebeen pretty awful.

Vladimir Putin 9 years ago
I would like to see a GW2 movie.

View 1 reply

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