These 5 game series should be Netflix’s next animated shows

Netflix revealed at a recent showcase that it’s working on several new animated shows based on video games. These include the reveal of Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft and a show based on the Devil May Cry series, as well as updates on Castlevania: Nocturne and Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix. Now that the entertainment industry has several proofs-of-concept that games make good shows — the first Castlevania series, The Last of Us, Twisted Metal, etc — it appears Netflix is all-in on making games into anime.

Since games have become the new site of choice from which TV writers can mine interesting adaptations, it begs the question: What’s next? What other game series would make excellent animated shows on Netflix or another streaming service? It can’t be just any title — to work, the source material would have to have expansive lore, distinctive visuals and brand recognition. Here are a few of the games we think would work best as Netflix’s next animated show.

Hideo Kojima’s influential stealth-action saga Metal Gear Solid features some of the most complex and intriguing plotlines in the medium, as well as some of the most iconic, visually distinctive characters. I doubt there’s a world where military drama, espionage and giant mechs can’t attract a wide audience. Besides which, the main role of Snake ducks the problem of the faceless protagonist that bedeviled the Halo series — it’d be a juicy dramatic role for the right actor (heck, give that one to Pedro Pascal, too).

There are plans in place for a live-action Metal Gear Solid movie, but at the last report it’s still in the very early phases of development — Netflix or some other streamer could easily lap them if they got started on a show now.

Bayonetta

Don’t you go thinking I’m only including Bayonetta because it’s my favorite game series — her inclusion here is inspired partly by Netflix’s announcement of a Devil May Cry animated series. Hideki Kamiya’s baddest witch ever comes from a similar world as Dante, and equally teeming with devilish story ideas.

The one that springs to mind immediately is the war between the Umbra Witches and the Lumen Sages, which began with the birth of Bayonetta herself. This would allow the showrunners to include powerful characters other than the titular protagonist while keeping the game’s most interesting visuals and aesthetics.

World of Warcraft

There are an uncountable number of fantasy game series, any of which would probably make a decent show. However, for maximum brand recognition, I would recommend Netflix goes for the most iconic of them all: Warcraft. Not only does the game have a distinctive art style that would lend itself well to an animated show, but it also has several years-worth of story from which they could draw their own plot.

Hollywood has already tried to mine this vein with a live-action film. While the film was not terrible, it didn’t quite do enough to capture the aesthetic and feel of the game. An animated show could do so much better, and it could draw from the same time period as the film for its story about the events leading up to the birth of Thrall.

Mass Effect

While we’re exploring different genres, perhaps a science-fiction show would also be a good change of pace. There are a number of sci-fi games that would make excellent shows, including Metroid, Titanfall, Horizon Zero Dawn or Portal. However, to keep it simple, we’ll go for one of the easiest games from which to draw material: Mass Effect. The extremely high amount of in-game lore means that there are several potential avenues for a showrunner to explore that don’t involve Commander Shepherd.

Given the hundreds of years of galactic history, Netflix could potentially tell the story of humanity’s First Contact War, the Krogan Rebellions or even the fall of the Protheans. There are no limits to how broad the scope of the show would be with so many alien races and cultures to feature as characters in the story. There are rumors that Amazon Studios is working on a Mass Effect show now, but details on that have been sparse.

Red Dead Redemption

Let’s shift away a bit from the surreal and the fantastical. There’s nothing like a classic Western TV show, and we haven’t had one of those in a while. The Red Dead Redemption series is a slice of retro Americana, a look at the grim life of the crime-ridden Western frontier and what one must become to survive there. The Red Dead Redemption series has the right blend of Western flavor to transform into an excellent TV show, especially if the showrunner is willing to weave in pieces of American history.

While the story of Arthur Morgan has been told (and excellently so) in Red Dead Redemption 2, it could still make for good story material. However, one avenue a hypothetical show could explore is the origin of the Van Der Linde gang — the earliest point in the game is set after they’ve all been traveling together for years. The story of how Dutch and Hosea rescued so many lost souls would make for an excellent, atmospheric Western.

Which games do you think would make the best animated adaptation? Ping us on social media and tell us your ideas.