Poncle Discusses Film Adaptation Hurdles: 'No Plot in Game'

Vampire Survivors developer Poncle has shared insights into the challenges of adapting their hit game into a film, originally announced as an animated series. In a recent Steam post, Poncle confirmed they are "still working with Story Kitchen on a live action film," despite the initial announcement of an animated series back in 2023.

The primary challenge, as Poncle highlighted, stems from the fact that "the game has no plot." This absence of a narrative framework makes the adaptation process particularly daunting, especially since Vampire Survivors is fundamentally a mechanically simple action game centered around defeating hordes of enemies.

Poncle emphasized their cautious approach to the project, stating, "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." They acknowledged the difficulty in finding the right balance of these elements, noting, "That is a very difficult triplet to get 100% right."

The developer also humorously pointed out the irony of adapting a game with no plot into a film, sarcastically remarking, "the most important thing in Vampire Survivors is the story." Due to these uncertainties, no release date for the film has been announced yet.

Vampire Survivors itself is a fast-paced, gothic horror rogue-lite game that gained immense popularity since its launch as an indie title on Steam. The game's success is attributed to its addictive gameplay, where strategic choices can lead to significant advantages against the onslaught of monsters. Poncle has continuously expanded the game, now boasting 50 playable characters and 80 weapons, along with significant expansions like the Ode to Castlevania DLC.

IGN's 8/10 review praised the game, saying, "Need a game to play while listening to podcasts? This is it. Vampire Survivors is outwardly simple but turns out to be an incredibly deep hole to fall down — though it's not without extended dull periods when you get ahead of its curve."