I'm a big fan of Netflix's Love, Death and Robots. I'm also a big fan of videogames. So, when a new Prime Video anthology series, based on some of the world's most famous gaming franchises, was announced at gamescom last night (August 20), it not only had my curiosity, but also my attention.
Step forward Secret Level, the latest adult animated anthology show from Tim Miller and his production company Blur Studio that's set to debut on Amazon's primary streaming service on December 10. It'll comprise 15 episodes, with each installment telling an original short story set in a variety of iconic videogame universes, including God of War and Pac-Man. Oh, and we were also treated to a first look at the various art and animation styles that'll be on display in the series via Secret Level's official trailer, which premiered at last night's gamescom Opening Night Live event.
Miller, who co-created Love, Death and Robots with famed film auteur David Fincher, and Blur Studio have led development on the series alongside supervising director Dave Wilson. Speaking to Deadline, Amazon MGM Studios' Head of Television Vernon Sanders explained why Prime Video's creative team were so eager to work with Miller, Wilson, and Blur to create a show inspired by some of gaming's most noteworthy franchises.
"Secret Level weaves a tapestry of iconic games across multiple mediums, to tell a series of unique and captivating stories," he gushed. "Created and led by Tim Miller, Blur Studio, and Supervising Director Dave Wilson, each episode will take our global Prime Video customers on a brand new journey with breath-taking animation and imaginative storytelling."
Secret Level won't focus solely on legendary videogame series, mind you. Indeed, it'll also contain tales that take place in relatively new game franchises, such as the brand-new team-based shooter Concord, which is available on PlayStation 5 and PC. Here's the full list of games that'll be part of Secret Level's 15-strong haul, as confirmed by an Amazon press release:
- Armored Core
- Concord
- Crossfire
- Dungeons and Dragons
- Exodus
- Honor of Kings
- Mega Man
- New World: Aeternum
- The Outer Worlds 2
- Pac-Man
- PlayStation (Highlighting various PlayStation Studios beloved entities)
- Sifu
- Spelunky
- Unreal Tournament
- Warhammer 40K
Pushing the right buttons
In the wake of Secret Level's announcement, I've seen all kinds of reactions to the R-rated animated anthology series' reveal across social media. Indeed, some people are clearly excited to watch new stories set in their favorite game universes, while other bemused observers have wondered why Prime Video, one of the world's best streaming services, has created what's essentially a show based around glorified videogame cutscenes.
The latter opinion is certainly a valid one, but this isn't the first time that the entertainment industry has looked to its gaming cousin for narrative and creative inspiration. It hasn't shied away from adapting some of the world's most popular game franchises for the big and small screens, either. Just look at the recent explosion of critically-acclaimed and/or money-spinning movie and TV adaptations, including The Last of Us, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Fallout, and Sonic the Hedgehog for proof of that. (Just maybe don't look in the direction of Borderlands.)
Heck, videogame studios, such as Riot Games, have even created their own animated short stories that take place in their own franchises. Indeed, its most successful videogame property League of Legends has not only received a number of animated tie-ins – music videos and shorts centered around some of its most famous characters – but also spawned its own original series Arcane, whose first season is available on Netflix. Arcane season 2 is also set to land on the streamer in November, too.
Why, then, should eyebrows be raised at Amazon for creating an anthology series influenced by other popular games? As long as they don't contradict the narratives, franchise canon, and/or specific lore in their source material, I don't see the problem. And, frankly, if any or all of Secret Level's episodes introduce their game series to a wider audience, that can only be a good thing. We've already seen Amazon's Fallout TV show significantly increase interest in Bethesda's role-playing first-person shooter games of the same name. I, for one, expect Secret Level to do likewise with some of its lesser-known titles in due course.
