Vampire Survivors Dev Poncle Outlines Challenges of Film Adaptation: 'The Game Has No Plot'

Vampire Survivors developer Poncle has shared the challenges they face in adapting their hit game into a film, initially announced as an animated series in 2023. In a recent Steam post, Poncle confirmed they are collaborating with Story Kitchen on a live-action film, despite the game's lack of a traditional plot.

Poncle emphasized the importance of finding the right partners and ensuring that any adaptation would capture the essence of Vampire Survivors. They stated, "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. That is a very difficult triplet to get 100% right."

The developer humorously noted the irony of adapting a game with no plot, saying, "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." Poncle also sarcastically remarked on the game's narrative, stating, "the most important thing in Vampire Survivors is the story," highlighting the challenge of creating a compelling film narrative from a game known for its gameplay over story.

Vampire Survivors is a fast-paced gothic horror game with rogue-lite elements, where players can quickly gain power against waves of enemies. Launched as a modest indie game on Steam, it became a massive success, leading Poncle to expand the game significantly. It now features 50 playable characters, 80 weapons, and includes two major expansions, along with the Ode to Castlevania DLC.

IGN's review of the game praised its simplicity and depth, awarding it an 8/10 and noting, "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."