Horizon coming to Netflix is next up in the long line of game adaptations
The video game adaptations to TV and film just don’t stop coming, because Sony announced today that they’re working in conjunction with Netflix to develop a Horizon Zero Dawn series. The news dropped today following Sony’s 2022 business presentation to investors, and was initially reported by David Gibson, a notable video game analyst. While Sony didn’t mention Horizon in the presentation documents, the slides did also mention several other projects that they have in the works.
According to the presentation, Sony also has a God of War series in development with Amazon Prime, as well as a Gran Turismo pitch that they are currently working on developing. When you consider the Ghost of Tsushima movie that has already been announced, the Twisted Metal series that reportedly has an all-star cast attached, and the Last of Us show that is filming right now for HBO, Sony is poised to take over streaming platforms with their gaming properties.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO and chairman Tony Vinciquerra said that in addition to these projects, they also have “10 more PlayStation titles in various stages of development for film and TV.” 10 more? Seriously? I don’t know guys, maybe let’s start with what we have before we go all-in on this one.
I can’t help but think Sony is biting off a bit more than they can chew here.
Horizon Zero Dawn is a decent choice for a Netflix series considering it’s one of the more cinematic games in Sony’s lineup, but that has never been a guarantee before. The recent Uncharted movie was a moderate success at the box office, but other than that, video game adaptations have yet to prove themselves in the mainstream.
Unless the creatives behind these projects really start nailing down the magic of what a good game-to-TV/film adaptation looks like, Sony could be looking at a whole lineup of series and films that are just okay at best.
I have faith that they’ll get it together eventually, but until they prove me wrong, I think I’ll just stick to playing their games instead of watching them.
