Netflix Geeked Week 2022 Previews Slate of Animated Video Game Series
As part of the Netflix Geeked Week presentations, the streamer has introduced and previewed a bunch of different animated video game adaptations this week.
These projects are a big part of Netflix’s current plans to stay afloat during the “streaming wars”, and this celebration of “all things geek” has underlined how important video game properties are for the streamer right now. While the company has some sizable live-action productions in the pipeline, such as a Resident Evil series and a BioShock film, much of its focus is put on animation, which is proving to be a perfect fit for many properties — Castlevania ran for four highly successful seasons, and The Cuphead Show is another hit with more coming, but they’ve also tackled other big franchises like Dragon’s Dogma and DOTA.
Dragon Age: Absolution
Leading the charge of Netflix Geeked Week 2022 was Dragon Age: Absolution, an animated series in the vein of DOTA: Dragon’s Blood which aims to bring BioWare’s epic fantasy universe to the small screen with a brand-new story that complements the games instead of retelling them. We first heard about a potential Dragon Age series around a year ago, though some rumors claimed it was going to be a live-action adaptation, something that didn’t make much sense with The Witcher going strong as Netflix’s flagship fantasy show. Anyhow, this seems like a smart move that also lines up with the fourth game in the series (expected to drop in late 2023 at the earliest), which recently unveiled its title:
May the Dread Wolf take you.
Your newest adventure begins in Dragon Age: #Dreadwolf. pic.twitter.com/riYYZXS7O1
— Dragon Age (@dragonage) June 2, 2022
As for Absolution, it will arrive in December 2022. A short teaser was released alongside a first poster that introduces the series’ main protagonist. You can find both of them below:
Tekken: Bloodline
First previewed back in March, the upcoming Tekken anime series will seemingly focus on retelling Jin Kazama’s struggles and confrontation with his grandfather, Heihachi Mishima. Of course, more legendary Tekken characters will make stellar appearances, but we don’t know how much of Jin’s tale this first season will cover. During Geeked Week, Chief Tekken Producer Katsuhiro Harada introduced a small preview and touched on the background of Jin and his mother:
Castlevania: Nocturne
As teased a year ago, Castlevania‘s fourth and final season wasn’t the final chapter in the franchise’s run on Netflix. As diehard Castlevania fans know, the game series is kind of a generational story, especially when it comes to the demon/vampire-hunting Belmonts. Nocturne introduces Richter, a descendant of the Belmonts popularized in the iconic Symphony of Night and Rondo of Blood games. Even though Nocturne will follow in the footsteps of its predecessor, there’s been a bit of a creative shakeup behind the scenes — the series is led by showrunner Kevin Kolde, a Castlevania veteran, but the creator/writer this time around is seasoned TV scribe Clive Bradley. Check out the small teaser (which doesn’t even commit to a specific year) below:
The Cuphead Show season 2
In spite of Netflix’s best efforts to release the series without much of a ceremony, the animated adaptation of Studio MDHR’s charming Cuphead (2017) has been a respectable animated hit on the platform, and more is coming our way. Though no specific date was given, Netflix dropped a proper trailer and promised this second batch of episodes will hit soon:
Sonic Prime
Hotter than ever thanks to the worldwide success of its two theatrical live-action films, the Sonic franchise is preparing for a big video game release this year in Sonic Frontiers while also promoting the upcoming Sonic Prime 3D animated show coming soon to Netflix. It sees Sonic “racing through the Green Hill Zone in a desperate attempt to save his friends — and the very multiverse itself.” The new show comes from WildBrain Studios, the studio behind Netflix’s Carmen Sandiego and Johnny Test series. The new clip introduces Big the Cat and Froggy, a dynamic duo that first appeared in Sonic Adventure in 1998.
Francisco J. Ruiz is that guy who has watched Jurassic Park a thousand times and loves Star Wars. His hunger for movies is only matched by his love for video games. He graduated in English Studies from the University of Malaga, in Spain. As he keeps writing about what he enjoys (and doesn’t) for websites all over, he’s continuing his studies.
