How Portugal Is Exploring the Intersection Between Video Games, Film and Animation
Entertainment industry veteran Kelly Loosli discusses the growing relationship between these three creative forces
Welcome back to Games From Portugal, your monthly update on Portugal's thriving video game development sector. As always, this newsletter is brought to you by eGames Lab, Portugal’s unique e-games development and creative industries cluster.
This month, we’re exploring the relationship between video games, film and animation – a topic that has become increasingly important over the past few years due to a rise in the popularity and success of transmedia projects. Talking us through the current state of play is entertainment Industry Veteran Kelly Loosli, who helms the Animation program at Brigham Young University and worked on projects for Disney and Dreamworks Pictures.
Later in this month’s edition, we also hear from Filipe Pinheiro Tomé about the live-action video game project he’s been working on at the Interactive Technology Institute in Funchal. Eidolon, inspired by Alan Wake 2 and Silent Hill, aims to use the combined cinematic power of games and film to spread awareness of prolonged grief disorder.
Pictures and Pixels: Entertainment Industry Veteran Kelly Loosli Discusses Where Games, Film and Animation Collide
It’s sometimes hard to believe just how far video games have come in terms of their storytelling abilities. Back in 2001, it was a revelation when Final Fantasy added proper voice acting for the first time, even if the delivery was more than a little wonky at points. Fast track to today, and it seems like we get something pushing the boundaries of what video games can achieve from a cinematic standpoint every few months.
From the likes of Remedy’s Alan Wake 2, which seamlessly blended live-action cutscenes with real-time gameplay, to Hellblade 2 from Ninja Theory, that displays such photorealism many argue it’s more film than video game, to more recently Clare Obscura: Expedition 33, a critical-darling pulled together by a team of around just 30 developers.
That evolving intersection between games, film, and animation is something that Kelly Loosli is all too familiar with. Loosli has worked in the entertainment industry for more than 30 years, during which he’s had stints at the likes of Disney and Dreamworks Pictures, but much of his accomplishments are that he shares with his pupils as co-creator of the Animation program at Brigham Young University – where he’s seen students go off to the likes of Bungie, Riot Games, Blizzard, and Epic Games.
“When I started out my career in film and animation, games were seen as a third-class affair,” Loosli says. “If you were really good, you would work in films. If you were sort of good, you worked in TV. If you were third-class… you worked in games. That has been slowly changing since the 90s, and now we’re at this point where my most talented students have gone on to work in games because they’re the best at what they do.”
The Rise of Video Game Adaptations
One major reason for that change is that video games and films have gradually become more aligned over the past few decades, in more ways than one. Perhaps the most noticeable way the two have grown closer is through the rise of transmedia. The most obvious example is HBO’s The Last of Us TV series, which has drawn widespread acclaim from both audiences and critics alike, with the most recent Season drawing more than five million viewers on its premiere.
Given that The Last of Us as a game was already widely praised for its storytelling, it’s unsurprising that it managed to translate so well to television. But what is surprising is the number of other video game IPs that have succeeded in recent times, including Amazon’s Fallout TV series, which has been watched by more than 100 million viewers worldwide, and Netflix’s Arcane series based on League of Legends, which was the first streaming series ever to win an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program.
Admittedly, video game adaptations have been common for many years, but it’s only recently that we’ve seen them really begin to shine. Just look at the comparison between The Super Mario Bros. films released in 1993 and 2023. One has gone down in history as one of the worst adaptations of a beloved property of all time, while the other was the first film based on a video game to ever gross $1 billion worldwide.
“Studios are so scared now of throwing money at things that are unrecognisable; they're looking for IP that people already know,” Loosli explains. “And what do people know better than games these days? I think studios realised that there are eyeballs there, and that it was time to put some real resources and talented people behind these properties. An even more important part of this success has been that the people working on these properties now are actually familiar with the games and grew up with them. And I think, when people love something, they put a little more spit and polish on it. They treat it with more care.”
How Game Development Is Influencing Film Production
But the growing relationship between games and the wider entertainment industry isn’t just about adaptations of popular franchises; it’s also about the advancements in technology that power video games, which are proving to have much wider use cases. For example, Loosli says that as well as using Unreal Engine for its core purpose of designing games, he and his students also find it beneficial within film production. They use it to pre-visualise their projects and determine any adjustments they need to make prior to filming.
“When you're trying to tell a story in whatever venue it needs to be, you need to get a sense of what it's going to look like as quickly as possible. That's what gaming technology does, it allows you to visualise things very quickly,” Loosli says. “A lot of places have massive libraries where you can go and visually populate spaces really quickly. You can look through them and see what it's going to feel like before you've spent much money or time at all. That's a huge benefit that greatly reduces the risk of redundancy and waste.”
It’s not just about previews, though. Many TV and film projects have started using video game technology in the final product. A famous example of this in practice is The Mandalorian, which projected locations from the Star Wars universe created using Unreal Engine 4 onto a 20-foot-high, 270-degree semicircular LED video wall behind Pedro Pascal and co. This innovative setup allowed the cast to shoot in multiple locations in a single day, shoot at a particular time of day for extended periods, and even move parts of the background to get a better shot.
While all this might be relatively new to the film industry, Loosli has always noted that these industries have always had a similar creative process. In fact, this has been the case since early on in his career, which was a surprise at the time, as he’d expected game design to be vastly different from filmmaking due to players having more direct control. Whether you’re telling a story for film or games, you have to have an idea in mind. You have to know who the characters are and the environment they’re going to be in. You have to know what you want to achieve thematically and how you’re going to guide the audience toward that goal.
“In games, we're not as dictatorial when it comes to the narrative,” Loosli says. “We want it to be more authentic. We want the player to be able to engage and play along. But in many ways, I don't find that a lot of films are terribly different. They don't get to choose, but even sometimes in films, main characters are somewhat empty because they're sort of shells that the audience gets to place themselves in to have this vicarious cinematic experience.”
The Future of Games and Film
So we’ve looked at the latest developments in the relationship between games and film, as well as the connection between these two industries in the early days. But where are things heading in the future? The answer is, generally, more of the same. Loosli expects that we'll continue to see more IP from games come into film, as well as the ways that games are being developed influencing other forms of media. For example, he expects more films and TV series to start implementing procedural technologies, which many video games like Microsoft Flight Simulator and Persona use to help generate in-game environments.
At the same time, Loosli also expects video games to become increasingly cinematic, not just those from the usual AAA giants like Naughty Dog and Rockstar but also smaller studios. It’s something that many would argue has already happened, especially following the recent release of Clare Obscura: Expedition 33, a title heralded for its storytelling and graphical prowess that shoots well beyond what many would usually expect from a developer consisting of only around 30 people.
“The thing that's more interesting to me in gaming is that you don't need a thousand-person crew now,” says Loosli. “Technology is freeing up the cost versus risk element that we've faced in games for a long time. With a 10-person team, you can build something that feels like hundreds of people have worked on it. At the end of the day, everything comes down to cost and how many games are made that hit the market and don't go anywhere. If you can build something great with a smaller team, your risk is far less, and that will open up the opportunity for more unique gameplay at the same time.”
Eidolon: Exploring Grief Through the Combined Power of Video Games and Live-Action Footage
So there’s lots to say about the growing relationship between video games and films. Still, one area that we’ve yet to touch on is the increasing number of titles and developers experimenting with live-action footage, like Remedy creating an entire TV show to watch inbetween levels of Quantum Break (2016), or Sam Barlow’s award-winning interactive FMV games Her Story (2015) and Immortality (2022). The live-action video game concept is something that Filipe Pinheiro Tomé, a researcher at ITI/LARSyS, Interactive Technology Institute in Funchal, wanted to build upon with his project, Eidolon.
Eidolon is a first-person thriller game that uses a combination of Unreal Engine’s Metahuman – a framework that gives developers the power to create, animate and use fully rigged, photorealistic digital humans – alongside live-action footage. That combination powers Eidolon’s narrative, which sees players follow the story of Tommy, who uses an AI program called Mnemosyne to create a digital version of his deceased sister, Emily, within a dreamscape based on his memories. Tommy is initially happy to be reunited with his sister, but the AI determines the best way to protect Tommy is to erase any recollection of her.
“I’ve always loved film. Bringing cinematic concepts into games has always been one of my top priorities as a narrative designer and researcher,” says Filipe Tomé. “Live-action elements have had a bad reputation, especially due to some poorly executed games from the '90s. However, they can add something unique and surreal. Alan Wake 2 uses these elements brilliantly to blur the line between reality and fiction. Inception by Christopher Nolan was also a key influence. I used to ask myself: What if it were a game? Could we tell dream scenarios using a different medium?”
The answer, Eidolon demonstrates, is a resounding yes. However, what does that look like in gameplay terms? Eidolon will be immediately familiar to any long-term fans of the survival horror genre, as Tomé looked heavily towards the likes of the acclaimed Silent Hill 2 for inspiration during the project’s development cycle. There are similarities between the two. In Eidolon, players must navigate through the atmospheric dream world by solving puzzles and finding clues, much like James Sutherland progresses through Silent Hill’s namesake town.
“Silent Hill 2 has one of the best stories in the history of games. It deals with grief, pain, repressed memories, and depression. The developers didn’t hold back – they portrayed deeply traumatised characters like Angela, a survivor of sexual abuse. The story shows how our minds can create psychological defences to protect us. While many people live with relatively stable mental health, others do not. It’s important to depict how difficult life can become, and show why mental health awareness is essential in our daily lives.”
Tomé designed Eidolon intending to raise awareness of Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD), a mental disorder characterised by intense and persistent grief symptoms that significantly impact daily life for more than 6 months after the loss of a loved one. It was an issue close to the heart of Tomé, as he’d experienced it personally following the loss of his maternal grandmother two years ago.
He’s far from the only one, too. PGD is a fairly common condition that most people have a strong chance of experiencing during their lifetime, with estimates suggesting it affects around 7-10% of bereaved individuals. On the more positive side, initial playtests suggested that Eidolon is successful in its aims, with many participants expressing an interest in learning more about PGD after their play session – no small feat given that it was developed over just two months.
“Grief is one of the most powerful emotions we experience,” says Tomé. “It can move us, change us – it’s transformative. And yet, we rarely talk about it openly. Games are a powerful medium for expressing those emotions. Interactivity lets players step into the shoes of a character and feel what they are feeling. In some ways, games can be even more emotionally resonant than film. Learning how and when to apply interactivity to a narrative is one of the most important challenges for a writer in this medium.”
Book Your Place at the Madeira Games Summit
If you haven’t already, now is the time to secure your place at the Madeira Island’s first-ever B2B gaming event – the Madeira Games Summit! Held in partnership with DevGaMM, this exclusive summit is the perfect opportunity to see everything Portugal’s thriving games industry has to offer with roundtable discussions, expert-led talks, and networking events.
The Madeira Games Summit takes place on 3-4 November at the Savoy Palace in Funchal, Madeira. Tickets are limited, with a Super Early Bird discount available if you book now via the following link: https://devgamm.com/portugal2025/madeira/
Business & Gaming Stories Affecting Portugal
A journey through time
The Portalegre Arts and Entertainment Centre hosted a look back at video game history at the start of May as part of the Portalegre Gaming Fest. The event invited players to freely use game consoles from the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s and held tournaments for various games, including Tetris.
Oregon Trail meets the Dakar Rally
Portuguese indie developer Firedrake Games’ upcoming strategic rally adventure game, Desert Race Adventures, has announced that it will release this summer alongside a new trailer. In partnership with Finnish publisher Black Smoke Studios, the game promises a unique mix of classic adventure and intense rally racing.
Portuguese Game Database Launch
DeVuego PT, a project dedicated to preserving, cataloguing and promoting the heritage of the video game industry in Portugal, has launched. The database already has over 2000 entries with detailed information about each video game, including prices, developers, and where they are available.
Portuguese AR Game Nominated for Award
Portuguese studio ONTOP’s augmented reality game “New Fantasy” has been nominated for the “Best Toy & Game” category at the AWE Auggie Awards. The multiplayer AR game requires players to engage in physical activities such as running, squatting, and aiming to defeat monsters.
IGN explores Side’s new Braga studio
Side, formerly PTW, is setting up a new studio in Braga, Portugal. The location was chosen for its quality of life to employees, its ease of access, and for being a more interesting location than usual hotspots like Porto. In the last year, Side has grown from 22 employees to 101, and it expects to double that number by the end of 2026. IGN visited the company's new studio.
