Critics and audiences alike have voiced an appreciation for Hollywood’s newfound interest in bringing the otherworldly stories of video games to life on the silver screen and television sets across the globe, though there still seems to be a noticeable divide in the way creatives approach these adaptations. One glaringly obvious example of Hollywood and gaming carrying different perspectives on how to tackle such projects has been brought into the spotlight courtesy of Noah Hawley. The showrunner for the upcoming Far Cry television series recently claimed that players are more likely to skip cutscenes and focus on gameplay, sparking heated commentary among Far Cry fans and general gaming audiences.
Despite the less-than-stellar performance of video game movies in the late 90s and early 2000s, the modern era of entertainment has been dominated by standout adaptations of some of the biggest game franchises of all time, including the Sonic and Mario movies, The Last of Us on HBO, Amazon Prime’s Fallout show, and Netflix’s Arcane, an animated series based on League of Legends. Video game adaptations have become so popular that production studios have been green-lighting new projects left, center, and right, with plans for hits like Ghost of Tsushima, Bloodborne, and Far Cry set to receive the Hollywood treatment. However, a constant point of contention among fans has been whether filmmakers and showrunners truly understand the games they are adapting, and Noah Hawley has become the latest Hollywood talent to fall under the scrutiny of gamers.
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Far Cry TV Showrunner Claims Gamers Skip Cutscenes
During an interview with Deadline, Noah Hawley commented on the “potential” of Far Cry‘s anthology structure, acknowledging that each game in the series has a standalone story with new characters and a unique setting. This alone may come as a positive note for gamers, but Hawley’s follow-up has quickly drawn the ire of Far Cry fans. Hawley claimed that players “only really move forward through the gameplay section, and then [they] have these cut scenes that [they] can skip.” While it is certainly true that some fans may skip through cutscenes, particularly during secondary playthroughs, audiences immediately chimed in on social media to remind Hawley and others in Hollywood that a large percentage of gamers enjoy deep, engaging storytelling in video games.
A number of players dropped their favorite quotes from the Far Cry game series, including the iconic Vaas “definition of insanity” cutscene from Far Cry 3, while others pointed out the fact that many Far Cry games don’t even have the option to skip cutscenes. Subsequently, some accused Hawley of being “tone-deaf” and “out of touch,” and it is certainly not the first time that a Hollywood creative has been hit with backlash from gaming audiences. The Last of Us fans had plenty to say about the direction of the HBO series, and even the most casual social media users no doubt remember the absolute fiasco that ensued when the original design for the movie version of Sonic dropped.
Taking one medium and translating it to another is not always a walk in the park. Cinema-goers have had more than their fair share of complaints about Hollywood’s treatment of various fantasy novels and comic book characters over the years, and the slate of upcoming video game adaptations may be no exception. At the time of writing, Hawley has not yet issued a follow-up statement to make any potential clarifications on his original comments, so interested fans may want to stay tuned for any updates from the showrunner about the Far Cry television adaptation and how cutscene storytelling may be converted into a TV show.
- Released
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October 6, 2021
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mild Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
