The success of the recently-released Skylanders series on Netflix has Activision-Blizzard seriously considering the prospect of an Overwatch television series.
Skylanders: Academy has been a surprising hit, having only launched last week and garnering positive reviews and a strong audience. That of course probably has a lot to do with the franchise’s large gamer contingency tuning in, but it’s a no brainer that franchises like Skylanders and Overwatch should make the transition into other mediums.
Speaking with the BBC, co-president of Activision-Blizzard Studios, Stacey Sher, said the company was taking its time in considering other major game franchises for film and television, but that there was active discussion on it.
“We’re going to do more but we’re going to move very carefully and thoughtfully,” Sher said. “We’re going to pick the best medium be it film, TV or shorts – the one that best serves each franchise individually.”
That’s both encouraging and disheartening: it’s great to hear that the folks over at Activision-Blizzard aren’t rushing into this for the sake of taking advantage of Overwatch hype. On the flip side, however, is the urgent need for more stories and insight into the Overwatch characters, because the animated shorts were amazing.
There is a Call Of Duty film on the way — “We’ve already announced that we’re going to do Call of Duty as a big feature film and that’s an example of matching the game to the medium,” Sher said — but I doubt as many people will care about that than Overwatch. Well, at least not be actively engaged in the universe. Call Of Duty hasn’t had an interesting character since Modern Warfare 2‘s Ghost, and outside of the Michael Bay-esque popcorn appeal of it, it would be hard to care about a Call Of Duty flick.
Here’s hoping for Overwatch on Netflix sooner rather than later!
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIXUhrM9xkw[/youtube]