Deadline reports that Amazon has signed a first-look deal with dj2 Entertainment, the company that co-produced the Sonic the Hedgehog movie, to produce streaming adaptations of videogames for Prime TV.
This news comes less than a month after Hazelight studios revealed that it was collaborating with dj2 on a potential adaptation of It Takes Two.
Dj2's founder, Dmitri M. Johnson, said of the deal: "...it is truly an honor to have Prime Video as our platform partner. A partner who truly supports us, as well as our grand ambitions, for telling the best international gaming stories with no limitations in how high we may collectively aim.”
Dj2 is currently in the early stages of adapting Life is Strange and PC Gamer's 2019 Game of the Year, Disco Elysium. This new deal leaves Amazon with first dibs if these projects reach completion.
Videogame adaptations used to be a punchline, but it seems like we're entering a bonanza era for cinematic spin-offs. Netflix's Witcher series, while technically an adaptation of Sapkowski's books, is still heavily associated with CD Projekt's opus and might have something to do with the recent boom.
I raised an eyebrow at the prospect of a Disco Elysium show airing on Prime TV for a host of reasons, but especially the fact that a militant labor dispute forms the backdrop of the game's plot, and Amazon has a well documented history of poor working conditions at its warehouses and suppressing union activity. I find it hard to imagine the vibe not being off with such a project, is what I'm trying to say.
My cynicism may be unwarranted and we could see some surprise hits like the Netflix Witcher from all these first-look deals and planned adaptations, but I find it hard to escape the feeling that there sure are a lot of these getting announced. Netflix is making Far Cry and Assassin's Creed shows and a BioShock movie, and Amazon is also trying to get a Mass Effect adaptation made. This, coupled with the continued fracturing and proliferation of new streaming services, seems like a bit of a bubble. But hey, who am I to say that the good times ever have to end?
