Story Kitchen, the film and TV company behind game adaptations like Sonic the Hedgehog and Tomb Raider, has teamed up with Swedish developer MoonHood Studios to adapt the critically acclaimed dark fantasy game The Midnight Walk for film and TV.
Released last month to widespread acclaim, The Midnight Walk is a handcrafted claymation world of shadow and sorrow, a mysterious figure known as The Burnt One must journey through five haunting tales of fire and darkness—guided only by the flickering flame of a lost lantern creature named Potboy.
The game is available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation VR2, and PC via Steam.
Critics have hailed the game as one of the most visually distinctive and emotionally resonant indie titles of the year: 9.5/10 – DualShockers; 9/10 – IGN; 4/5 – The Gamer; and 4/5 – ComicBook.com.
“The moment we saw The Midnight Walk, we knew it was something special,” said Dmitri M. Johnson and Mike Goldberg, cofounders of Story Kitchen, in a statement. “Its world is hauntingly beautiful, its story emotionally raw, and its craftsmanship absolutely next-level. We’re thrilled to help bring MoonHood’s vision to an even broader audience.”
MoonHood Studios, founded by acclaimed creators Klaus Lyngeled and Olov Redmalm, has made a name for itself by marrying tactile artistry with deep, narrative-driven design.
“Our team poured heart and soul into The Midnight Walk,” said Lyngeled and Redmalm, in a statement. “To see that story now step into the world of film and television with a partner like Story Kitchen is a dream come true. We can’t wait for audiences to experience it in a whole new light.”
The producers are currently meeting with writers, and the project is currently in early development. Story Kitchen has worked on adaptations including Tomb Raider, Just Cause, Sonic the Hedghog, It Takes Two and Shinobi.
I asked why Story Kitchen saw potential in a game that is under the radar like this one. Goldberg said in an email, “It has an insanely beautiful, gothic, world-build that we haven’t seen since Nightmare Before Christmas, with a continued narrative expansion planned on the games side. Excited to go Tim Burton/Guilleromo del Toro’esque in putting it together for film (then TV).”
And Johnson said in an email, “From a technological standpoint, it’s especially compelling. The team hand-crafted over 700 physical models before scanning them into Unreal, giving production a significant head start with assets already existing in both physical and digital form.”
Story Kitchen holds a television first-look deal at Amazon MGM Studios and an animated film first-look deal at DreamWorks Animation.
MoonHood is an independent game studio based in Gothenburg, Sweden, known for its unique blend of handcrafted visuals and emotional storytelling.
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