Netflix appears to be all in on the concept of video game properties being turned into television series on the streaming platform.
The Witcher was a huge hit for Netflix, and it was recently announced that they’re headed back into the realm of game adaptations with a new Assassin’s Creed series that is in development.
One game franchise that has long been rumored to receive either a film or TV adaptation has been Sony‘s God of War. The high action fantastical settings of these titles have led many to believe in the past that it could be a huge summer blockbuster.
But with streaming companies all battling it out for our attention span, it seems like a streaming service might become the home of a live action God of War adaptation.
Industry insider Daniel Richtman has made the claim that Netflix is highly interested in a God of War television show. There had been some previous rumors that feature film talks were happening, with Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista attached as Kratos and Ares.
But God of War director Cory Barlog has been vocal in the past about his desire to see God of War adapted into a Netflix style television series rather than a movie.
God.
Of.
War.(At least, I think so)
— golrab of the frost (@corybarlog) January 27, 2020
Back in January, when the hypothetical question of what game IPs would lend themselves to a Netflix-style series was asked, Barlog responded in the tweet featured above.
“This is not a hint or anything,” he went on to say. “I just believe that games would make great TV shows because you spend so much time with the characters in fantastic worlds. Games, like TV, are like relationships with the characters, where movies are more like a date.”
It seems like television would be a much better fit for video games, which are so immersive and take you on a deep dive into the world of these characters. You typically spend between 20 and 30 hours on a game. It’s not easy to compile all of that into a two or three hour narrative, as one would in a film.
Other studios have also taken a cue from Netflix that game properties could be the future. HBO is currently developing an original series for The Last of Us franchise, which, like God of War, is a Sony PlayStation exclusive. That series is being overseen by Chernobyl writer Craig Maizin and The Last of Us game director Neil Druckmann.
Some of the creative minds from Ubisoft have also been brought in as executive producers on Netflix’s Assassin’s Creed project.
So, not only might we see God of War on the small screen, but it’s possible that Barlog and his team could have some kind of role in it.
