Arc Raiders and The Finals Are Getting Film and TV Adaptations

Chernin Entertainment has agreed to adapt two Embark Studios titles, Arc Raiders and The Finals, into film and television projects, according to a report by Variety. Both games' publisher, Embark Studios, will be involved in the adaptations in some capacity.

The announcement, as reported by Engadget, currently rests on corporate statements rather than creative specifics. Press releases describe the deal as "the next big step in growing" both franchises and promise "integrated transmedia experiences." The president of Chernin Entertainment framed the two properties as "ambitious global IPs with the potential to become major franchises across film and television." No writers, directors, platforms, or release windows have been disclosed.

One notable wrinkle is that neither game is known for a strong narrative foundation. Arc Raiders is a third-person extraction shooter, while The Finals is a free-to-play first-person shooter framed around a game show. That gives filmmakers unusual latitude to invent stories around the existing worlds, provided they preserve the settings and tone that define each game. Engadget's own report acknowledged that any suggestion of shared cinematic universes is speculation rather than a confirmed plan.

Chernin Entertainment brings a track record in both genre and franchise work. Its recent credits include producing Backrooms for theaters and The Madness for Netflix. Its broader filmography includes The Last House, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and the Fear Street trilogy, among other titles.

The deal fits a broader wave of game-to-screen projects. Helldivers is slated for a film next year, with Elden Ring and Call of Duty adaptations following in 2028, and a long-anticipated The Legend of Zelda film also in the pipeline. For now, the Arc Raiders and The Finals projects are early-stage announcements with more corporate positioning than production detail.

Why this matters: adaptation deals are increasingly common, but the absence of narrative scaffolding in live-service shooters makes the creative execution the real question. Until Chernin and Embark name talent or platforms, this remains a business announcement rather than a creative one.