Creative Educators Assemble: The Collaborative Future of Films, Television, Games, and Technology
“Video games are an important part of screen culture.”
It’s not revolutionary to say that the role of educators teaching screen industry and creative subjects continues to constantly evolve.
For example, students now enrolling on a screenwriting course may be interested in writing for film, television, games, online content, or even specific apps. Additionally, these students want to realise their creative visions using more than traditional tools such as a camera, with some wanting to submit assessments using online communities like Minecraft, or adding additional layers to their assessments with elements like AI generated music.
You would be mistaken for thinking students studying creative subjects peeking behind the curtain of video games and technology would find little of interest. The highest grossing media franchise of all time is currently Pokemon, and the highest grossing media title of all time is Grand Theft Auto V (likely to soon be dethroned by its sequel). Unreal Engine, a system commonly understood as a games engine, is now an integral solution for films and television shows, such as The Mandalorian (2019 - ).
Understanding the vast landscape of possibilities in the creative industries is what allows educators to signpost students to the right further training or entry level roles, as well as allowing educators to encourage students to make the most of their skills using the tools and influences they feel most aligned with.
This is why, as part of last week’s 2026 London Games Festival, the 11th annual Screen/Play event brought together creative minds across film, TV, and games design to discuss how they are continuing to work collaboratively to produce the flourishing output of UK creative industries.
In his opening remarks, BFI’s Executive Director of Industry & Innovation, Rishi Coupland, stated: “Video games are an important part of screen culture.” This is also reflected in the BFI’s decision to broaden their 2026-2029 plan for the BFI Skills Fund to include the games industry.
What resonated throughout the event was the similarities in film, TV, and games when it came to technological advances, Intellectual Property, storytelling, and audiences. Across all these industries, creative talent is finding a home, and in many cases, the strongest talent has a home in each.
Astonishingly as it may be to some, panel members at the event confirmed roughly 25% of films currently in production are based on videogame IPs. These aren’t just mainstream films, but also more niche IPs that are using the film medium to expand the world and character storylines of some of the most-loved videogame franchises, much to the excitement of fans. An excellent example of this is a small indie horror game that went on to capture the hearts of a large, and dedicated fan base over twenty years ago.
Five Nights at Freddy’s was originally released in 2014. Developed and published by Scott Cawthon, the game now has eleven instalments, including one in VR, and the IP was reimagined for the big screen in 2023 by Universal and Blumhouse Pictures. Cawthon was hands-on with production, through his own studio, and as a writer for the screenplay. Though the film sits at just 5.4 stars on IMDB, audiences flocked to see it, leading to a gross of over $297 million worldwide from just a $20 million budget. This success led to a sequel in 2025.
The panel discussed how often the key to success with videogame IP expanding into film and television is the involvement of key figures from the game’s development. Neil Druckmann is one example, the creator of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us (2013) was heavily involved in the creation of the HBO television series’ first season. The series was a critical hit as well as a hit with both fans of the game and new audiences to the franchise. Many have heralded The Last of Us (2023 - ) as the true arrival of transmedia to the masses, and its success has led to franchises like Bethesda’s Fallout being given the greenlight for television adaptation.
It’s no surprise that Sony made the move to launch their own film studio specifically to adapt their IP, including God of War (2005 - ) and Horizon Zero Dawn (2017 -). Where videogame IP has fallen in the past is adaptations being handled by executives who have no history with the source material, and potentially, no understanding of video game audiences. The panel commented on the change in the industry in recent years, where once film studios would seek a developer to create a tie-in video game for a film release, often developed in the same timeframe as it took to shoot the film, it’s now the case that film studios are fighting to adapt video game IP with the large budgets being behind the game rather than the film.
Involving the fan-base for the game has also been essential to success for video game IP adaptation. Ryan Geddes, Director, Publishing and Product Management at Riot talked in-depth about the process of working with fans of League of Legends in the conceptualising of Netlfix’s, Arcane (2021 - 2024). He commented on the importance of finding the right medium to expand the world and tell the stories of game characters, with the studio deciding on an animated television series on Netflix’s streaming platform. Arcane is another example of critical and fan success, with the show going on to win multiple awards, including Primetime Emmys. It was also encouraging to hear that Geddes credited much of this success to their collaboration with Netflix and the guidance the platform executives gave throughout the process.
Crucially, what panel speakers continued to agree on was that creators across mediums are beginning to speak the same language. Talent in the video game industry can come from a multitude of places, and this talent works best collaboratively, flowing through games, film, and television to define stories and capture audiences.
This was immediately demonstrated by both representatives from Rebellion and Scriptic. Ben Smith, Head of Film, TV and Publishing at Rebellion holds a title that solidifies the collaborative nature of these creative industries. Smith sits in the more ‘traditional’ screen arm of Rebellion, and discussed at length the passion of Rebellion's founders Jason and Chris Kingsley to both preserve and expand the stories in a multitude of mediums, from comic books to screen.
Scriptic’s Founder & CEO, Nihal Tharoor introduced their new game, Flagged (currently listed as unannounced). The game tasks players with reviewing digital evidence collated from the everyday lives of in-game characters to determine whether they are at risk of committing a future crime. It blends the immersion of players actively making decisions and ‘playing’ with evidence, with the televisual style of detective dramas, helmed by its star, Ralph Ineson. Ineson is no stranger to videogame acting and was applauded for his work as Cidolfus (a new iteration of Cid for those who follow the franchise) in Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XVII (2023). Acting talent has been integral to the success of videogames since the conception of motion capture, and voice acting before it.
The discussions at the event were instrumental in opening a dialogue around nurturing talent and collaboration in the creative industries and how video games require the same input and understanding as more traditional mediums. Everything from scriptwriting and storytelling to acting and music composition (it’s worth noting the 2020 Final Fantasy VII Remake soundtrack, composed by Nobuo Umeatsu, reached over 130 million streams in 2025) is what makes a successful game, and one that has the acclaim to endure for decades to come, just as it would in any other medium.
My thoughts on the event as an educator were initially how exciting it is that students currently learning skills represented at the event will have the opportunity to work across all these industries and shape a future where doors are open to endless possibilities. Realising that a student interested in production could be working on an unscripted TV set one minute, and then starting a role on a game production replicating a similar environment is a wonderful thing. The opportunities don’t end there though, the technological advances in the creative industries are also opening doors for future development and additional roles for young people, many who may never have considered these industries as viable career options.
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