Of all the videogame franchises that you wish would be turned into a TV show, Battlefield might not be high on the list – yet just such a show is now in development.
Paramount Television and Anonymous Content announced that they’ve nabbed the rights from EA and DICE to turn the popular wartime series of games into (hopefully) TV gold.
Paramount has given us the likes of Frasier, Star Trek: Voyager and Mission Impossible, while Anonymous Content is responsible for shows such as Mr Robot and The Knick.
Neither company has produced a show based on a videogame before, but then, few have.
Details are fairly thin on the ground right now. It’s not known which game or time period from the Battlefield series it will take inspiration from, but I’d put good money on a modern – maybe even Hardline – setting.
No network is attached yet either, but the deal includes broadcast, cable, premium cable, and streaming services, so there are a fair few options.
Michael Sugar will serve as executive producer, a role he’s previously served on Stroumboulopoulos and The OA, while also producing Spotlight and The Fifth Estate.
Sugar said:
Battlefield has a tremendous built-in, engaged fan base, making it a highly coveted piece of IP primed for long-form adaptation. Together with EA and Paramount TV, we’ll develop the Battlefield TV series with the same commitment to robust storytelling that has made the game such a runaway success for nearly 15 years.
EA’s Patrick Soderlund added:
Battlefield is one of the most loved properties among our players. We are thrilled that Anonymous Content and Paramount TV will look to introduce fans to Battlefield through a new medium.
While the Battlefield games are fantastic fun, I’d argue story has never exactly been a key reason people play those games. It’ll be interesting to see what they do with the franchise over in telly land.
Meanwhile, back in videogame land, DICE’s WWI based Battlefield 1 will launch for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on October 21.
Ewan Moore is a journalist at UNILAD Gaming who still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase. After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a BA in Journalism & Media Studies (thanks for asking), he went on to do some freelance words for various places, including Kotaku, Den of Geek, and TheSixthAxis, before landing a full time gig at UNILAD in 2016.