99 Nights in the Forest Movie: 20th Century Studios Adapts Roblox Horror Hit With 26 Billion Visits

Key Takeaways

• 20th Century Studios has acquired film rights to Roblox game 99 Nights in the Forest
• The game has 26 billion lifetime visits and peaked at 14.2 million concurrent players
• This marks Disney's first major video game adaptation since acquiring 20th Century in 2019
• Game creators Alex Kieft, Cameron Angland, and Matthew Hufton will executive produce
• No director or screenwriter has been attached to the project yet

Look, Hollywood has been on a video game adaptation tear lately. We've had everything from The Last of Us dominating HBO to the Super Mario movie printing money at the box office. But this one? This feels different. 20th Century Studios just announced they're bringing 99 Nights in the Forest to the big screen, and honestly, the numbers behind this decision are kind of insane.

What Is 99 Nights in the Forest?

If you're not plugged into the Roblox ecosystem, here's the quick version. 99 Nights in the Forest dropped in March 2025 and immediately took off. The concept is pretty straightforward if you've ever played Five Nights at Freddy's. You're stuck in a haunted forest for, you guessed it, 99 nights. During that time, you've got to fight off creepy creatures lurking in the woods while trying to rescue four lost children.

Simple premise. Terrifying execution. And apparently, millions of players couldn't get enough.

The game sits at seventh place on Roblox's all-time most-played list. That's wild when you consider it's only been around for about a year. For context, most games on that list have had years to build their player bases. This one just rocketed up there.

Why Disney Is Finally Jumping Into Game Adaptations

Here's what makes this interesting. Since Disney acquired 20th Century Studios back in 2019, they've been surprisingly quiet on the video game adaptation front. Think about it. Disney owns some of the biggest entertainment IPs on the planet, yet they've watched other studios cash in on the gaming gold rush from the sidelines.

So why 99 Nights in the Forest? Why now?

The numbers tell the story. When your potential source material has 26 billion lifetime visits and a built-in audience of millions, the risk calculus changes pretty dramatically. This isn't some niche indie game they're gambling on. It's a certified phenomenon with a proven fanbase.

“Growing up, Disney and 20th films were a huge part of our childhood, so collaborating with such legendary and enduring studios feels surreal. We're excited to explore the world of 99 Nights in the Forest on a broader stage and to create some scares in an entirely new medium.”

— Alex Kieft, Cameron Angland, and Matthew Hufton, game creators

The Creative Team So Far

Right now, the project is still in early stages. No director. No screenwriter. No cast announcements. What we do know is that the game's original creators will stick around as executive producers.

• Alex Kieft, Cameron Angland, and Matthew Hufton confirmed as executive producers
• No director or screenwriter attached yet
• 20th Century Studios handling production
• Release date not announced

Having the original developers involved is a good sign. We've seen what happens when studios ignore the people who actually built these games. The 2016 Assassin's Creed movie comes to mind. When creators stay involved, there's at least a chance the adaptation captures what made the original special.

The Five Nights at Freddy's Connection

You can't talk about 99 Nights in the Forest without mentioning the elephant in the room. The game wears its Five Nights at Freddy's inspiration pretty openly. Survival horror. Counting down nights. Creepy atmosphere. The DNA is right there.

And that's probably not a coincidence when it comes to the film adaptation either. The FNAF movie pulled in over $130 million at the box office last year. Studios noticed. Horror games with devoted young fanbases can translate into serious theatrical revenue.

The question is whether 99 Nights can differentiate itself enough on screen. The forest setting is a natural advantage. Instead of being trapped in a building, you've got endless dark woods, creatures lurking behind trees, and lost children to find. That's a lot of visual potential for a horror film.

What Could Go Wrong

I'll be honest. There are reasons to be cautious here.

Video game movies have gotten better, sure. But they still fail more often than they succeed. And adapting a Roblox game brings unique challenges. The graphics are intentionally blocky. The gameplay loop doesn't naturally translate to a three-act structure. And the game's appeal is partially in playing it yourself, not watching someone else survive.

Plus, we've seen plenty of projects get announced and then vanish into development hell. No creatives attached yet means this could be years away from actually happening. Or it might not happen at all.

The Bigger Picture for Gaming and Hollywood

This announcement fits into a larger trend that's been building for years. Gaming isn't just entertainment anymore. It's IP farming for Hollywood.

Think about the math from a studio perspective. A game like 99 Nights in the Forest has essentially done the market research for free. Millions of players have validated that people find this world engaging. They've spent hours in it. They've told their friends about it. That's data Hollywood would normally spend millions trying to generate through focus groups and test screenings.

And Roblox specifically? It's a goldmine of proven concepts. User-generated games that break through to massive popularity have essentially already passed the audience test. Studios just need to figure out how to translate them to a different medium.

Whether that translation works for 99 Nights remains to be seen. But you can bet other studios are watching closely. If this succeeds, expect a wave of Roblox adaptations to follow.

What Happens Next

For now, we wait. The next big announcements will likely be the hiring of a director and screenwriter. Those choices will tell us a lot about what kind of movie 20th Century is actually trying to make. Are they going for genuine horror? A more family-friendly approach? Something that straddles both?

The game's target audience skews young, but horror can work across demographics when done right. The original Poltergeist proved that decades ago. More recently, Stranger Things showed you can do creepy and kid-accessible in the same package.

My guess? They'll aim for PG-13. Scary enough to feel authentic to the game, but not so intense that parents won't bring their kids. That's where the money is, and Disney knows how to chase it.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the 99 Nights in the Forest movie come out?

No release date has been announced yet. The project is still in early development with no director or screenwriter attached.

Who is making the 99 Nights in the Forest movie?

20th Century Studios is producing the film, with game creators Alex Kieft, Cameron Angland, and Matthew Hufton serving as executive producers.

Is 99 Nights in the Forest related to Five Nights at Freddy's?

They're separate properties, but 99 Nights shares similar survival horror gameplay mechanics and atmosphere with the FNAF franchise.

How popular is 99 Nights in the Forest on Roblox?

It's the seventh most-played game in Roblox history with 26 billion lifetime visits and a peak of 14.2 million concurrent players.

One thing's certain. The lines between gaming and film continue to blur. And for Roblox creators who built something that resonated with millions, seeing their work adapted by a major studio must feel pretty incredible. Whether the final product honors that original creation is the billion-dollar question. Literally.

Source: IGN All