Netflix has outdone themselves once again with the release of the League of Legends animated series, Arcane, which quickly became one of the most watched shows on the platform. And looking at their track record, we can safely say that Netflix is pretty good at handling animated media.
From awe inspiring movies like Klaus and The Mitchells vs. The Machines, to video game adaptations like Castlevania, it seems that audiences around the world can always expect the platform to do right in this medium.
Beyond Arcane and the sequel to the aforementioned Castlevania series, Netflix has a ton more video games to adapt into shows, both in animation and live-action. And hopefully we’ll get to see a couple more popular games getting this treatment soon, so here are ten games that we feel are ripe for an animated adaptation sometime soon.
Sea of Thieves
As much as Rare and Microsoft’s open-world multiplayer adventure is all about players crafting their own pirate journey, there’s a lot of material that can be explored even further through animation. With Sea of Thieves already having a distinct art style, it would be a sight to behold seeing it translated into 2D.
Coffee Talk
Toge Productions’ cafe simulator is already a playable drama all on its own, but through an animated series, we could see an expanded scope to the world and stories depicted in this game. With a sequel on the horizon, it would be a great way to experience both entries of Coffee Talk in a whole new way.
Mass Effect
The intergalactic tales of Shepherd and their spacefaring crew of heroes already have episodic adventures across the universe, so an adaptation would be perfect. While there is an upcoming live-action Mass Effect film in production, we feel that a two hour movie will not do the series justice.
Metal Slug
As fun as it is to base these shows out of games with more lore attached to them, there’s something about the explosive action of Metal Slug that seems to be missing from the animated landscape of today. It could easily be as fun as the G.I Joe ‘80s cartoon, with a dash anime flair to really hone in on the series’ bombastic elements.
No Straight Roads
Another Southeast Asian game that truly oozes charm, the new animated intro that was made for the new Encore Edition of No Straight Roads proves how much this game would work well as an animated series. Combined with the outlandish character designs and world, each episode could act as a longform music video.
Hades
The breakout game of 2020, it would be a no-brainer to make Hades into an animated series, especially since the entire story slowly unravels with each run made by the player. Trailers for this game have also shown the potential for a highly stylised series, one that perfectly balances the offbeat and dry humour that the game possesses.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
While the Persona series and the Fire Emblem franchise get a lot of love from fans worldwide, we feel that the crossover spin-off, Tokyo Mirage Sessions, could use a lot of loving attention as well. Replacing the high school protagonists of Persona with up and coming pop stars, and the summonable Personas with Fire Emblem heroes was a great idea worth revisiting in a new medium.
Metroid
With Metroid Dread being such a hit and Metroid Prime 4 poised to extend this hype train even further, it’s time for Nintendo’s neglected sci-fi series to truly be in the spotlight. While a Super Mario animated movie sounds like a fun time for all, Metroid can hone in on its horror elements, a thorough exploration of Samus Aran’s psyche and emotional toll battling the alien menace.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Skyrim may be the Elder Scroll game that many would be familiar with, the fourth chapter in the series, Oblivion, has a sprawling story centered around lost lineages and interdimensional portals. Like Arcane, an animated series could serve as both an introduction and an exploration of just one aspect of a series with such deep lore and history behind it.
Chrono Trigger
The JRPG made by the creators of Dragon Ball, Dragon Quest, and Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger has been lost to the vestiges of time, only staying relevant through ports of the SNES original.
It is a true masterpiece of the video game world and deserves to be reintroduced to the masses, especially with the talent that created it. With how successful Dragon Ball continues to be, a new series with the same artstyle would be an immediate hit for sure.
