According to a new announcement, Capcom and Netflix are inking a deal to create an animation-based adaptation of the popular game series, Dragon’s Dogma. The deal includes bringing in Sublimation, the Japanese production house behind Shikizakura to do the actual CG work.
The Dragon’s Dogma adaptation would join other series in similar genres that the company is working on, including Altered Carbon: Resleeved–an anime spin-off series of its sci-fi original series–and Ghost in the Shell: SAC _2045. Production I.G is producing Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045. Anima will produce Altered Carbon: Resleeved.
The story of actual Dragon’s Dogma anime will follow a man who becomes “Arisen” after having his life stolen by an ancient dragon, now he must fight to get it back. It will be interesting to see how closely this series follows the plot and course of the games, I for one am pretty excited
“The Sublimation team has long dreamed of working on our own title. We have oftentimes worked with partner studios to create partial CGI portions within a given title, so we feel very fortunate to work with Netflix through this production line deal,” said Sublimation director Atsushi Koishikawa. “We’re excited to bring our unique cel-shaded animation that carries hand-drawn textures to anime fans around the world.”
Netflix worked out the deal with Sublimation as part of an overall strategy to expand it’s independent anime offerings to subscribers. This pivot comes at a crucial time for the company, as typical TV and film production outfits are trying their best to adapt to the digital age, Netflix has been forced on the offensive, snapping up exclusive shows and films in an attempt to remain fresh and relevant by offering access to exclusive content.
The final deal as part of this bundle involves production of an adaptation of the popular sci-fi anime Spriggan. The original material was written by Hiroshi Takashige and drawn by Ryoji Minagawa, and the anime will be produced by David Production. CEO of David Production Koji Kajita said of the deal, “This deal opens us to story development for international audiences beyond Japan, as well as the chance to explore new technologies and creative expressions on a long-term basis.”
John Derderian, Netflix head of content for Japan, said, “Netflix aims to be the most compelling and attractive home for anime fans, creators and production studios. We are creating an environment where production houses can do their best work and deliver their shows on a service where we connect anime fans from over 190 countries to content they love.”
There’s no firm release date for the Dragon’s Dogma adaptation. Altered Carbon: Resleeved is currently in production for it’s second season. Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 is set to premier on the streaming service in 2020.
