Move over Castlevania, there’s a new vampire-themed animated video game TV adaptation on the block (although there aren’t any actual vampires in this one).
Variety has reported that Vampire Survivors, the viral and award-winning game from poncle, is in line to be turned into an animated series via the folks at Story Kitchen – a media company formed just last year by the likes of Derek Kolstad (John Wick writer-creator) and Dmitri M. Johnson (Sonic the Hedgehog producer).
With its arcade-y gameplay and minimalist aesthetic, you’d be forgiven for thinking Vampire Survivors was light on story, but beyond its addictive roguelite loop that sees players fight against enormous swarms of enemies with ever-increasing power, its creator seems to put a lot of weight into its narrative. The game’s itch.io listing describes the synopsis as:
The year 2021, Rural Italy, there lived an evil person named Bisconte Draculó, whose many evil magics created a bad world filled with famine and suffering. It’s now up to the members of the Belpaese family to end his reign of terror and return good food to the table.
“The most important thing in Vampire Survivors is the story, so it’s a dream come true to see what started as a little indie game I made on my weekends come to life as an animated TV show,” poncle’s founder Luca Galante told the outlet. “It’s also great to be partnering up with such experienced and talented people to make the show. I do wonder if they’ve realised that there isn’t a single vampire in Vampire Survivors, though.”
Story Kitchen co-founder Dmitri M. Johnson said: “When our Head of Creative, Dan Jevons, flagged Vampire Survivors for us last year upon its initial release, we were prepared to dismiss it as just another vampire game. Hundreds of hours played later, we were all hooked, and we just could not get enough!! Needless to say, we’re truly honored to partner with this incredible team and to continue the Vampire Survivors story!”
“Despite being responsible for countless hours of lost productivity at Story Kitchen, we are both thrilled, and honoured, to partner with poncle to bring the bombastic gothic world of Vampire Survivors to life in linear media,” added Jevons.
Story Kitchen reportedly has other video-game-to-TV adaptations in the works including Tomb Raider, Splinter Cell, Toejam and Earl, Streets of Rage and even It Takes Two, so they’ve got an incredibly busy time ahead.
