I am an enormous fan of Netflix‘s Love, Loss of life and Robots. I am additionally an enormous fan of videogames. So, when a brand new Prime Video anthology sequence, primarily based on among the world’s most well-known gaming franchises, was introduced at gamescom final night time (August 20), it not solely had my curiosity, but additionally my consideration.
Step ahead Secret Degree, the most recent grownup animated anthology present from Tim Miller and his manufacturing firm Blur Studio that is set to debut on Amazon’s major streaming service on December 10. It’s going to comprise 15 episodes, with every installment telling an authentic brief story set in quite a lot of iconic videogame universes, together with God of Conflict and Pac-Man. Oh, and we had been additionally handled to a primary take a look at the assorted artwork and animation types that’ll be on show within the sequence through Secret Degree‘s official trailer, which premiered finally night time’s gamescom Opening Evening Dwell occasion.
Miller, who co-created Love, Loss of life and Robots with famed movie auteur David Fincher, and Blur Studio have led growth on the sequence alongside supervising director Dave Wilson. Talking to Deadline, Amazon MGM Studios’ Head of Tv Vernon Sanders defined why Prime Video’s artistic workforce had been so wanting to work with Miller, Wilson, and Blur to create a present impressed by a few of gaming’s most noteworthy franchises.
“Secret Degree weaves a tapestry of iconic video games throughout a number of mediums, to inform a sequence of distinctive and fascinating tales,” he gushed. “Created and led by Tim Miller, Blur Studio, and Supervising Director Dave Wilson, every episode will take our world Prime Video prospects on a model new journey with breath-taking animation and imaginative storytelling.”
Secret Degree will not focus solely on legendary videogame sequence, thoughts you. Certainly, it will additionally comprise tales that happen in comparatively new sport franchises, such because the brand-new team-based shooter Harmony, which is on the market on PlayStation 5 and PC. This is the complete record of video games that’ll be a part of Secret Degree’s 15-strong haul, as confirmed by an Amazon press launch:
- Armored Core
- Harmony
- Crossfire
- Dungeons and Dragons
- Exodus
- Honor of Kings
- Mega Man
- New World: Aeternum
- The Outer Worlds 2
- Pac-Man
- PlayStation (Highlighting varied PlayStation Studios beloved entities)
- Sifu
- Spelunky
- Unreal Event
- Warhammer 40K
Pushing the appropriate buttons
Within the wake of Secret Degree‘s announcement, I’ve seen every kind of reactions to the R-rated animated anthology sequence’ reveal throughout social media. Certainly, some individuals are clearly excited to observe new tales set of their favourite sport universes, whereas different bemused observers have questioned why Prime Video, one of many world’s finest streaming companies, has created what’s basically a present primarily based round glorified videogame cutscenes.
The latter opinion is actually a sound one, however this is not the primary time that the leisure trade has appeared to its gaming cousin for narrative and artistic inspiration. It hasn’t shied away from adapting among the world’s hottest sport franchises for the large and small screens, both. Simply take a look at the current explosion of critically-acclaimed and/or money-spinning film and TV variations, together with The Final of Us, The Tremendous Mario Bros. Film, Fallout, and Sonic the Hedgehog for proof of that. (Simply possibly do not look within the path of Borderlands.)
Heck, videogame studios, corresponding to Riot Video games, have even created their very own animated brief tales that happen in their very own franchises. Certainly, its most profitable videogame property League of Legends has not solely obtained quite a few animated tie-ins – music movies and shorts centered round a few of its most well-known characters – but additionally spawned its personal authentic sequence Arcane, whose first season is on the market on Netflix. Arcane season 2 can be set to land on the streamer in November, too.
Why, then, ought to eyebrows be raised at Amazon for creating an anthology sequence influenced by different common video games? So long as they do not contradict the narratives, franchise canon, and/or particular lore of their supply materials, I do not see the issue. And, frankly, if all or any of Secret Degree‘s episodes introduce their sport sequence to a wider viewers, that may solely be a great factor. We have already seen Amazon’s Fallout TV present considerably enhance curiosity in Bethesda’s role-playing first-person shooter video games of the identical title. I, for one, count on Secret Degree to do likewise with a few of its lesser-known titles sooner or later.
