TAGGED AS: Netflix, streaming, television, TV, Video Games
The final day of Netflix’s Geeked Week 2022 centered on its newer games initiative, a bevy of titles offered for free to Netflix subscribes. And though the focus of Friday’s presentation was on those efforts — including The Queen’s Gambit mobile chess game — a handful of television shows based on various video games were also discussed. As we have for the last few days, let’s take a look at the final hours of Geeked Week and some of the new things we can anticipate on the platform in the months and year ahead.
The session opened with an announcement for a new series based in BioWare’s Dragon Age universe. Dragon Age: Absolution centers on a new set of heroes somewhere in the Tevinter Imperium. It will stands alone from the game series, so don’t expect the Inquisitor, the Hero of Ferelden or Hawk to appear, but Netflix promises “mages, knights, Qunari, Red Templars, demons and other special surprises.” Also, it is always possible these new characters may pop up in BioWare’s upcoming Dragon Age: Dreadwolf game. A teaser trailer and poster released during the presentation both feature a mysterious elf character, but no other plot details emerged. Mairghread Scott of Transformers and Marvel Rising fame will serve as showrunner, while Red Dog Culture House produces the series. It will debut in December.
Another new program in the works is the follow-up to Powerhouse Animation’s Castlevania — Castlevania: Nocturne. It continues the Belmont legacy by focusing on Ricther, a decedent of Trevor and Sypha, who plies his hunter trade in revolution-era France. Joining him on his quest is Castlevania game favorite Maria Renard. The program has been in the works for a while, but previously lacked a title. It is currently in production, so a release is still a fair way off.
According to Tekken architect Katsuhiro Harada, who appeared via a video message, the fighting game series is one of the longest sustained stories in the medium and Tekken: Bloodline will be the first time it is realized an a full narrative experience. Ideas across various game entries will link up and backstories hinted at will finally be fleshed out. As an example, a brief clip revealed Jin Kazama in his childhood. The bulk of the series will take place between Tekken 2 and Tekken 3 with Jin in training under the supervision of his mother.
“Even so, he was powerless when a monstrous evil suddenly appeared, destroying everything dear to him, changing his life forever,” Harada explained. “Angry at himself for being unable to stop it, Jin vowed revenge and sought absolute power to exact it. His quest will lead to the ultimate battle on a global stage: The King of Iron Fist Tournament.”
Speaking specifically to the character, Harada said “I am sorry” for putting him in the situations he faces in both the games and the anime series. It will debut later this year.
Also set to debut later in 2022 is Sonic Prime. A clip from the upcoming series revealed Big the Cat and Froggy will appear. In the series, Sonic must save the Multiverse and his friends from Dr. Eggman. Although, as Netflix notes, Sonic has a tendency to take his friends for granted and the adventure will see him stopping to realize his mistake. Sonic Prime also debuts later this year.
(Photo by Netflix)
Closer on the horizon are the third season of DOTA: Dragon’s Blood and a second round of The Cuphead Show. First Look photos of Dragon’s Blood, set to debut August 11, offered a glimpse of what fans can expect. Dragon Knight Davion’s (Yuri Lowenthal) journey continues, provided he can deal with the dragons and spare the souls of the world.
Via a teaser, the platform also announced a new season of The Cuphead Show will debut in August 19. The brief preview revealed the cartoon madness and old-timey comedy returns once again in spades … well, spades capable of their own snappy patter. Voice actors Tru Valentino, Frank Todaro, Luke Millington-Drake, and Dave Wasson also assembled for a table read of a second season episode. Cuphead and Mugman come into possession of the Devil’s pitchfork, but find its power a little too tempting. They also discover something key about their usual predicament. The video mainly focused on the performers, but some moments from the finished episode — which ends on a cliffhanger — also appeared.
(Photo by Netflix)
A handful of games based on shows were also announced. Shadow and Bone: Destinies allows players to chart their own journey across the Grishaverse in a narrative RPG adventure. A mobile heist game based on La Casa De Papel, meanwhile, sees the crew helping out one of the Professor’s old friends by robbing a billionaire in Monaco. Also, games based on Too Hot To Handle — a dating sim, naturally enough — and Nailed It! are also in the works.
Also, The Queen’s Gambit Chess video game is “not just a chess board.” In a trailer for the title, Netflix revealed it will also have a narrative component, puzzles to solve, and online matches. Players can also challenge Beth directly.
Other games previewed or announced included Poinpy, scrolling platformer Lucky Luna, Desta: The Memories Between, Reigns: Three Kingdom, Terra Nil, and Wild Things: Animal Adventures. Additionally, Netflix announced indie titles Raji and Spiritfarer are coming to their gaming platform in the not too distant future.
