Vampire Survivors may not seem like the most narratively rich videogame of all time, but that's not going to stop developer poncle and media company Story Kitchen from turning it into an animated television series.
"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 founder Luca Galante said. "It’s also great to be partnering up with such experienced and talented people to make the show. I do wonder if they've realized that there isn't a single vampire in Vampire Survivors, though."
It never occurred to me that "story" might be such an integral component of Vampire Survivors. I know there's plenty of lore but that's not the same thing as story, and thoughts of a meaningful narrative never really entered my mind as I wandered around the minimalist top-down world, butchering countless thousands of supernatural creatures with various weapons and spells. I know there are quite a few unexpected surprises as the game progresses—new characters, levels, that sort of thing—but I never found myself wondering, for instance, if Giovanna resented the forces that turned her into a witch and is quietly plotting vengeance against them. Maybe I missed something?
Still, if there's one thing I learned growing up with Hanna Barbera cartoons, it's that you don't need depth (or even basic coherence) to whip up a semi-successful cartoon series. And of course the series can (and no doubt will) plumb the lore to tell tales that the game itself doesn't.
Poncle confirmed the news on Twitter, and asked the obvious question: Who should be in this thing?
🎉 Vampire Survivors animated show coming! 🎬Hollywood, baby! ✨Who would you cast as Poe Ratcho?! 🧄#VampireSurvivors #poncle #show #gaming https://t.co/NUIm8k6tPQApril 28, 2023
Story Kitchen is a serious partner for this kind of thing. It was founded by Sonic the Hedgehog film series co-producer Dmitri Johnson, John Wick creator Derek Kolstad, and former APA partner Mike Goldberg, and already has a number of game-related projects in the works including a live-action Sifu film and a Toejam and Earl movie.
In hindsight, maybe that Tides of the Foscari trailer that dropped a couple weeks ago was telling us about more than just the DLC, eh?
