One of the First Video Games in History Is Getting Adapted As a Movie, & We Have Questions
Movies based on video games have had some pretty big hits recently. A Minecraft Movie had an impressive box office run, even with the Chicken Jockey drama of it all. And Super Mario Galaxy was the first movie to hit $1 billion in box office revenue in 2026. So it’s not surprising that studios are lining up to make more movies based on video games. What is surprising, however, is that a new deal between Atari and Universal Pictures could give us a movie about Pong. Yes, you read that right.
On July 23rd, Deadline revealed that Entertainment 360 and Atari have signed a new deal with Universal Pictures. The partnership gives the studio rights to develop movies based on 10 classic Atari games. It’s certainly a different direction than adaptations like The Minecraft Movie, which capitalize on games that are popular right now. But the deal could bring us games based on some of the very first video games ever made. Let’s just say some of these feel like a more natural fit than others.
Pong And Other Classic Atari Games Are Getting Film Adaptations Thanks to New Deal
According to Deadline, Universal Pictures wants to “use the IP to create big-scale action-adventure” movies. Of the 10 games included in the licensing deal, some fall more naturally into that category than others. The 10 Atari games that are now up for adaptation are:
- Asteroids
- Adventure
- Berzerk
- Breakout
- Centipede
- Crystal Castles
- Millipede
- Missle Command
- Pong
- Yars Revenge
Most of these games hail back to the early days of video games, which means their graphics were pretty bare-bones. But some, like Asteroids, feel ripe for an action-adventure adaptation already. It’s not hard to imagine an epic space story a la Star Wars that’s inspired by those pixel space battles. But Pong? That, I honestly can’t wait to see.
When it released in 1972, Pong wasn’t the first-ever video game. But it is widely credited as the first commercially successful video game, which has also solidified it as the earliest game in many people’s memories. In addition to the original arcade cabinet, Pong was released as a home version and later arrived on plenty of subsequent gaming platforms. As one of the first popular video games, Pong is so influential that it’s even got a place in the Smithsonian. But that doesn’t mean it’s a natural fit for a “big-scale, action-adventure movie.”
Because it’s such an early video game concept, Pong is inherently simple. It’s just two lines on a screen, moving back and forth to tap a small dot to the other side of the court. That in and of itself is hardly going to make for a compelling movie, which is why my initial reaction to the news was a chuckle. But depending on where Universal goes with it, there’s some interesting potential here. I don’t know about you, but I’d watch a documentary-style movie that details the making and cultural rise of Pong. I could also see this turning into a tennis movie in its own right, but personally, I’m hoping for something more akin to the former.
For now, all we know is that Universal Pictures and Atari now have a deal that could bring these 10 classic games to the big screen. Whether that means each will have its own adaptation, or we’ll get one big, epic movie about the history of Atari remains to be seen. But Pong getting made into a movie in any form was certainly not on my bingo card.
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