Xbox is developing over 12 film and TV adaptations of its game franchises, from Sea of Thieves to Call of Duty. Here’s everything confirmed so far.
Xbox has more than a dozen film and television adaptations in various stages of development right now. According to a major Entertainment Weekly cover story published on June 22, 2026, Microsoft’s gaming division is accelerating its push into Hollywood following the massive commercial success of A Minecraft Movie and the Fallout series on Prime Video. The latest project revealed is a live-action Sea of Thieves film.
Sea of Thieves Movie Officially Announced
Xbox Chief Content Officer Matt Booty confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that Rare’s open-world pirate game Sea of Thieves is being adapted into a live-action film. Destin Daniel Cretton, best known for directing Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is attached as executive producer through his company Hisako Films. A director has not yet been assigned to the project.
Booty offered a glimpse at the film’s creative direction, telling EW: “The main character of a Sea of Thieves game is actually the player and the community. So if you sit down to think about Sea of Thieves, it’s not, Who are the main characters? What’s the plot? It’s a super social game, but there’s a tone to Sea of Thieves. It’s built on a very cooperative community, so you can start to sense what that’s going to be like.” Based on those comments, the film may lean into a cooperative, light-hearted adventure tone rather than a grand pirate epic.
Every Confirmed Xbox Adaptation in Development
Xbox’s acquisition spree over the past several years has given it one of the deepest IP libraries in gaming. Here is every adaptation publicly confirmed or strongly indicated as of June 2026:
| Project | Type | Platform/Studio | Key Talent | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Minecraft Movie Squared | Film | Warner Bros. | TBA | Filming in New Zealand, July 2027 release |
| Minecraft Animated Series | Animated Series | Netflix | TBA | In development |
| Gears of War | Live-Action Film | Netflix | Dir: David Leitch, Writer: Jon Spaihts | Script underway |
| Gears of War | Adult Animated Series | Netflix | TBA | In development |
| Fallout Season 3 | TV Series | Amazon Prime Video | Jonathan Nolan, EP | Filming started May 2026 |
| Call of Duty | Live-Action Film | Paramount | Dir: Peter Berg, Writer: Taylor Sheridan | June 30, 2028 release date set |
| Sea of Thieves | Live-Action Film | TBA | Producer: Destin Daniel Cretton | Early development |
| Wolfenstein | TV Series | Amazon Prime Video | Fallout production team involved | In development |
| Fallout Shelter | Reality Competition | Amazon | TBA | Currently filming |
Several additional projects remain unannounced. Xbox has confirmed that the total number exceeds 12, and the company’s portfolio includes untapped franchises like Diablo, The Elder Scrolls, World of Warcraft, Doom, Starfield, Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro, all of which are viable adaptation candidates.
How A Minecraft Movie Changed Xbox’s Strategy
The turning point for Xbox’s Hollywood ambitions came with A Minecraft Movie, which premiered on April 4, 2025. Starring Jack Black and produced in partnership with Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros., the film became the fifth highest-grossing movie globally in 2025. That blockbuster performance gave Microsoft the confidence and leverage to push forward with an aggressive multi-project strategy.
A sequel, officially titled A Minecraft Movie Squared, is already filming in New Zealand with a release date of July 23, 2027. A separate Minecraft animated series is also planned for Netflix, expanding the franchise across multiple formats simultaneously.
Fallout: From Prime Video Hit to Three-Season Franchise
The Fallout TV series on Amazon Prime Video became the platform’s second most-watched show of all time after its debut in 2024. Starring Walton Goggins and Ella Purnell, the show earned critical acclaim and massive viewership, prompting Amazon to renew it for a third season in May 2025, months before Season 2 even premiered.
Season 2 aired between December 2025 and February 2026, and Season 3 began filming in May 2026 in Santa Clarita, California. Industry projections place the Season 3 premiere around mid-2027. The same production team behind Fallout is also developing a Wolfenstein TV series for Amazon, expanding Bethesda’s presence on the streaming platform.
Gears of War: Delta Squad’s Origin Story Heads to Netflix
Netflix’s Gears of War film has been in development since 2022, but it finally gained serious momentum in 2025 when David Leitch signed on as director. Leitch, known for directing The Fall Guy, Bullet Train, and Atomic Blonde, brings major action credentials to the project. The screenplay is being written by Jon Spaihts, who co-wrote Denis Villeneuve’s Dune.
The film will tell “the origin story of Delta Squad, a ragtag crew of soldiers who wage a desperate war for survival against the Locust, a race of subterranean creatures bent on destroying humanity.” An adult animated series set in the Gears universe is also being developed for Netflix alongside the film.
Call of Duty Movie Set for Summer 2028
One of the biggest gaming franchises in history is making its way to the big screen. Paramount confirmed a live-action Call of Duty film with a release date of June 30, 2028, strategically positioned for the US Independence Day holiday weekend. Taylor Sheridan, creator of Yellowstone, is writing the screenplay, while Peter Berg, known for Lone Survivor and Friday Night Lights, is directing.
No casting or plot details have been revealed. Given that principal photography would need to begin roughly 18 to 24 months before release, production announcements are expected later in 2026.
What Happened with Halo and What Xbox Learned
Xbox’s journey into Hollywood adaptations has not been without setbacks. The Halo TV series on Paramount+ received a mixed reception and was not renewed beyond its second season. However, when Netflix acquired streaming rights, viewership surged again, demonstrating that the IP still had significant audience appeal when paired with the right distribution strategy.
That experience appears to have shaped Xbox’s current approach: matching each franchise with the platform and creative team most likely to serve it well. Fallout found its home on Prime Video, Minecraft thrived on the big screen with Warner Bros., and Gears of War landed at Netflix with proven action filmmakers attached.
The Wider Boom in Video Game Adaptations
Xbox’s aggressive push sits within a broader industry trend. In 2026 alone, major video game adaptations hitting screens include Return to Silent Hill (January), The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (April), Mortal Kombat II (May), Among Us on Paramount+ (June), Resident Evil (September), and Street Fighter (October). The Last of Us continues on HBO, and God of War and Mass Effect adaptations are also in active development elsewhere in the industry.
What sets Xbox apart is the sheer volume and breadth of its approach: 12-plus projects simultaneously, spanning live-action film, animated series, streaming shows, and even a reality competition format. No other single gaming company currently has that many adaptations in active development.
What This Means for Gamers
Film and TV adaptations do not just expand a franchise’s audience; they directly boost engagement with the source games. The original Fallout series drove a significant spike in player numbers across every Fallout game. Sea of Thieves, which remains actively updated by Rare, is likely to experience a similar resurgence once its film enters active marketing.
For Xbox Game Pass subscribers, the connection is even more direct. Fallout, Sea of Thieves, and the Gears of War series are all available through the service, meaning new fans drawn in by a film or show can immediately jump into the games that inspired them.
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