Blizzard Is Working On Animated Overwatch, Diablo Adaptations For Netflix

Blizzard has two animated TV projects in the works. According to the LinkedIn profile of Nick van Dyk, co-president of Activision-Blizzard Studios, shows based on Diablo and Overwatch are both on the way.

In his profile, van Dyk credits himself as “executive producer of Diablo, a TV adaptation of Blizzard Entertainment’s IP, rendered in anime style. The show is currently in pre-production for distribution worldwide through Netflix.”

There’s been no official word from Netflix, although there have been whispers of a Diablo project for a while now, and the streaming service already plays host to the thematically-similar anime adaptation of Castlevania, which has bee renewed for a third season. The timing also seems sensible, given the upcoming arrival of Diablo 4, which is loosely expected to release some time in the next couple of years.

Further down, he also states that “with my creative partner, [I] developed and sold an animated series based [on] Blizzard’s Overwatch franchise.” It sounds as though this series is in a significantly earlier stage of development than Diablo, as there’s no word on distribution or a production schedule. It’s also a good fit, however, especially given the amount of effort Blizzard has put into Overwatch‘s cinematics, and how popular they’ve proven with the community.

Van Dyk’s profile also makes reference to the “Call of Duty cinematic and television universe,” but in a translated interview, the director of the franchise’s upcoming film says that the project is on hold as it’s “no longer a priority” for Activision-Blizzard.

It seems like now is the time for videogame adaptations across both big and small screens. The success of Detective Pikachu and Sonic the Hedgehog is being matched by Castlevania and The Witcher on Netflix, with the latter already getting an anime movie some time this year. Elsewhere, Riot Games is working on Arcane, an anime set in the League of Legends universe, also due later in 2020.


This post originally appeared on Kotaku UK, bringing you original reporting, game culture and humour from the British isles.


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