Netflix Reportedly Turning Another Major Video Game Into a TV Show

While most Hollywood studios are mining comic books for ideas, Netflix continues to focus on video game adaptations. The streamer is reportedly setting its sights on Dragon Age for its next live-action production, on the heels of The Witcher‘s success. The Dragon Age franchise launched with the 2009 game Dragon Age: Origins and a fourth game is now in development. The games are published by Electonic Arts and developed by BioWare.

Last week, a source told Giant Freakin Robot that a Dragon Age series is in “active development right now.” The site offered no further details on the project, like who is writing, directing, or producing. The role-playing aspect of the Dragon Age games will give Netflix the creative freedom to create new characters to inhabit the world of the franchise.

Dragon Age began with the 2009 release of Dragon Age: Origins, which introduced the fictional kingdom of Ferelden. The player’s character becomes a member of the Grey Wardens, an ancient group that tries to stop the evil forces called Darkspawn and must defeat the Archdemon that commands them. Origins was followed by two move games, Dragon Age II in 2011 and Dragon Age: Inquisition in 2014. BioWare announced Dragon Age 4 in 2018, but no release date has been set. According to VentureBeat, the game appears to be on track for a 2023 release.

Netflix has found surprising success when it comes to adapting video games as series or movies. The biggest hit of these projects has been The Witcher, based on the books by Andrzej Sapkowski and the video games they inspired. The second season, made up of eight more episodes, will be released on Dec. 17. Henry Cavill stars as Geralt of Rivia in the show. Netflix is also developing projects based on Splinter Cell, Assassin’s Creed, Resident Evil, and Final Fantasy. Castlevania was represented by a hit four-season Anime series.

Last week, Variety reported that a live-action Pokemon series is in development for Netflix. Although this project is also in the very early stages, it has a producer attached, unlike Dragon Age. Joe Henderson, who works on Lucifer for Netflix, was hired to write and executive produce the Pokemon show. Little is known about the project, but the live-action nature suggests it could be similar to the 2019 movie Pokemon Detective Pikachu.