With The Last of Us Season 2 just around the corner, early reviews suggest the series continues where Season 1 left off in terms of quality, loyalty to the source material, and adaptation of the world. Turning The Last of Us into a TV series was longed for by many fans for years, and the adaptation was a huge success – both critically and commercially. However, it has raised the question of which other video game series could be find success as TV franchises.
1. Assassin’s Creed
The 2016 Assassin’s Creed movie was a complete failure. However, a TV series has the potential to fix everything the movie did wrong. Try telling that to Netflix, though, who apparently have three different AC adaptations in the pipeline, including an anime series, an animated show and a live-action series. However, it’s been almost five years since the initial Netflix and Ubisoft partnership announcement, with very little to show from any of the projects.
It’s a great shame, as an anthology series following the assassins across various historical locations and times has the potential to be incredible. From Feudal Japan to the ancient Egyptians, with the modern story tying everything together – the sky could be the limit for an AC TV series.
2. Red Dead Redemption
Long rumoured to be in the works as a TV series, the legendary games from Rockstar Entertainment need no introduction. The Wild Wild West would present a unique and immersive location for a TV series to adapt the stories of Arthur Morgan, John Marston, and co. The recent success of Amazon Prime’s The English and Yellowstone demonstrates there is a desire for more shows set in this interesting, violent, and gritty period of history, and an RDR TV series could hit the mark for deep and personal storytelling, combined with exhilarating heists, shootouts, and typical cowboy action.
3. God of War
Whether set in Ancient Greece or deep in Norse mythology, the God of War game series has everything a good TV show requires. Character-driven and deep protagonists, excellent villains, and gripping action combined with fascinating set pieces and immersive locations, this could work incredibly well as an Invincible-style animated series. This would easily allow the huge variety of mythical sites, legendary antagonists, and fan-favourite characters to come to life, even allowing the original voice actors to reprise their roles.
We might not have to wait too long for this one. Recent reports suggest Amazon has at least two seasons of a live-action adaptation in production, although details are relatively scant about a possible release date.
4. Dead Space
A chilling sci-fi horror set on an abandoned and falling apart space station, with gruesome monsters hunting down your main character – this sounds like something that should have been made years ago. The Dead Space series has the perfect foundation to grow into a tremendous TV series. The sequels to the games have been hit and miss, and while additional story material, such as comic books, have helped add to the canon and lore of the series, a TV series would allow both the games and expanded stories to come to life in a frightening and violent horror series.
5. Age of Empires
This one may take a little more thought, however, a historical epic focusing on the strategic elements of some of history’s greatest empires could be an enthralling watch. Different series could be focused on different empires, similar to Rome (2005-07), and dive into the history, culture, and most famous battles of each one on a grand scale. With a down-to-earth political story similar to Game of Thrones, or full-scale battle segments inspired by Lord of the Rings or Troy, the potential of this series could be unmatched.
Besides The Last of Us, recent hits such as Fallout and The Witcher have shown us that the appetite for strong adaptations of video games into TV series remains, and the potential names that could eventually be made into one are nothing short of fantastic.
