Vampire Survivors Dev Discusses Film Adaptation Hurdles: 'No Plot in Game'

Vampire Survivors developer Poncle has shed light on the challenges of adapting their hit game into a film, a project that was initially announced as an animated series but has since shifted focus. The core issue, as Poncle points out, is that "the game has no plot," which complicates the transition to a cinematic format.

Despite the initial announcement of an animated series in 2023, Poncle confirmed in a recent Steam post that they are "still working with Story Kitchen on a live action film." The developer emphasized their cautious approach, stating, "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 acknowledges the unique challenge of adapting a game with no narrative into a film, describing it as a "very difficult triplet to get 100% right." They added, "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 noted the irony of the situation, saying sarcastically, "the most important thing in Vampire Survivors is the story." As the adaptation's plot remains unclear, even to Poncle, no release date has been announced yet.

Vampire Survivors is a fast-paced gothic horror game with rogue-lite elements, where player choices can lead to rapid progression against hordes of monsters. Initially launched as a modest indie game on Steam, it quickly became a surprise hit, gaining immense popularity and expanding significantly with new content. The game now features 50 playable characters and 80 weapons, along with two major expansions and the Ode to Castlevania DLC.

In our 8/10 review, IGN praised Vampire Survivors as a perfect game to play while listening to podcasts, describing it as "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."