Blizzard’s Diablo and Overwatch video game anime series are reportedly in the works at Netflix. With the streaming giant consistently working to remain the number one choice for subscribers, adaptations of popular video games could be the way forward. Of course, video games have consistently had their share of troubles over the years when adapted into film and television programs. This isn’t to say that a quality adaptation can’t be done. One need only look to Netflix’s current success with both The Witcher and Castlevania for proof that making the leap from consoles or PCs to series (live-action or animated) can indeed yield positive results.
Exactly why some games succeed as adaptations and others fail miserably, however, is anyone’s guess. Fans are likely to have numerous reasons why certain game titles didn’t hit the mark when adapted, but there certainly is no golden recipe for success. In terms of Diablo and Overwatch, both Blizzard games have built up considerable legacies over the years, with Diablo in particular having survived the test of time for many gamers. Even today with the high degree of competition that exists, Diablo is still viewed as one of the greatest games ever made. But can either game survive as an animated series on the world’s most popular subscription streaming service?
Though it’s still very early days with regard to this question, it does appear that Netflix may be getting set to find out. According to Forbes, Nick van Dyk, co-president of Activision Blizzard Studios, has revealed that a Diablo series, “rendered in anime style” is currently in pre-production at Netflix. In addition to this, van Dyk has also stated that he has “developed and sold an animated series based on Blizzard’s Overwatch franchise.” As of this writing, there is no information regarding possible release dates for either series, or even if the Overwatch series is confirmed at Netflix.
Originally released in 1997, Diablo began as a PC RPG in which players hack, slash and cast spells through 16 random dungeon levels before facing the ultimate battle with Diablo – aka The Lord of Terror – in Hell itself. Since then, the highly popular game has seen numerous incarnations, with the most recent official title, Diablo III, having arrived in 2012, though Diablo 4 is on its way. As for Overwatch, the online, multiplayer first-person shooter has been at the center of near-constant attention since it first arrived in 2016. Though there have been numerous Overwatch animated shorts that can be viewed to various degrees on YouTube and fan sites, to date the successful game has not had either a feature-length film or a TV series adaptation in the works. As both Diablo and Overwatch have dedicated fanbases, it does seem that Netflix would make an ideal home for both franchises as either anime or traditionally animated series.
As is typically the case with adapting popular video games to either film or television, there are so many different aspects to get right in order to please fans. This is likely one of the main reasons there has been so much talk over the years of a video game “curse” when it comes to adaptations. Both Diablo and Overwatch are unlikely to be any different in this respect, but for fans of the games, for now it’s exciting to know that Netflix is on board. Whether or not the end results meet the undoubtedly very high expectations, however, is another story altogether.
