Vampire Survivors developer Poncle has shed light on the challenges of adapting their hit game into a film, despite it being initially announced as an animated series. In a Steam post, Poncle confirmed they are "still working with Story Kitchen on a live action film," acknowledging the inherent difficulties in translating a game with "no plot" into a cinematic experience.
Poncle emphasized the importance of finding the right partners and ideas to bring Vampire Survivors to life outside of the gaming world. "As mentioned last year, rather than jumping the gun and make stuff for the sake of making it, we have preferred to wait to find partners that felt right, especially because to make anything that isn't a video game out of Vampire Survivors requires good ideas, creativity, and that quirky knowledge of the game," Poncle stated. They highlighted the challenge of this endeavor, noting, "That is a very difficult triplet to get 100% right. Please remember the game has no plot — it doesn't? — so nobody can really anticipate how a film about it is going to be. That is part of what makes it exciting."
The developer humorously pointed out the irony of adapting a game known for its lack of narrative, sarcastically remarking, "the most important thing in Vampire Survivors is the story." Given the uncertainty around the adaptation, no release date has been set yet.
Vampire Survivors is a fast-paced gothic horror game with rogue-lite elements, allowing players to snowball against hordes of monsters. What started as a modest indie game on Steam became a massive success, leading Poncle to expand the game with new content, including 50 playable characters and 80 weapons, plus two major expansions and the Ode to Castlevania DLC.
IGN's 8/10 review praised Vampire Survivors as a deceptively simple yet deeply engaging game, perfect for playing while listening to podcasts, though it noted the game can have dull periods when players get ahead of its curve.
