Your Guide to Smart Moves: What Sony’s Mouthwashing Movie Deal Teaches Us About Spotting Big Trends

Okay besties, we need to talk about this because it’s giving major “indie dreams do come true” energy.

Viral indie horror game Mouthwashing is officially headed to the big screen. Sony Pictures has acquired the film rights to the game from developer Wrong Organ — that’s per The Hollywood Reporter, so this is legit, not rumor mill stuff. And the director attachment? None other than Karyn Kusama, the filmmaker behind Jennifer’s Body and The Invitation. The script will be written by Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay.

Here’s what I’d point out, because my brain never turns off the money angle: this is a genuinely fascinating case study in what happens when a small creative project becomes valuable intellectual property. Wrong Organ is an indie game studio — not a massive publisher with deep pockets. They built something that resonated so hard with players that a major studio came knocking. That’s an asset they created gaining real, tangible value, and now they’re cashing in on it.

This is why I tell my coaching clients to think about assets differently. Most of us were taught that wealth means a salary and maybe a 401(k). But assets are anything you own that can grow in value or generate income — and in today’s world, that can be a game, a course, a newsletter, a portfolio of stocks, or even your personal brand. The people who build wealth on their own terms are the ones who create or own things, not just trade time for dollars.

A little context for anyone who hasn’t played it: Mouthwashing is a psychological horror game published by Critical Reflex, and it blew up with players for its storytelling and atmosphere. It went viral in the gaming community, and clearly that momentum caught Sony’s attention. Sony Pictures Entertainment — one of the biggest studios on the planet — now holds the film rights.

And can we appreciate the Karyn Kusama of it all for a second? Jennifer’s Body was initially overlooked and then became a beloved cult classic — a full redemption arc. The Invitation proved she knows how to build slow-burn tension better than almost anyone. Pairing her sensibility with a psychological horror property like Mouthwashing is actually a smart creative fit, not just a studio grabbing a trendy name.

Now, here’s my personal takeaway from all of this. When you see a story like this, don’t just think “cool movie news.” Ask yourself: what can I build or own that could compound over time? For most of us, the most realistic starting point isn’t selling a game to Sony — it’s consistently investing in assets that appreciate. Index funds, ETFs, even starting small with a few hundred dollars a month. The mechanism is the same: ownership beats consumption, every single time.

If Wrong Organ’s journey teaches us anything, it’s that value gets created by people who make things — and it gets captured by people who own things. You can be both.

So here’s my challenge for you this week: pick ONE asset-building move and actually do it. Open that brokerage account, set up an automatic transfer into an index fund, or finally start the side project you keep talking about. Small moves, consistently made, are how ordinary people build extraordinary wealth.

DM me on Instagram and tell me which move you’re committing to, or hop on my mailing list for weekly money tips that actually fit your life. Let’s build your empire, one smart decision at a time. 💛