The World of Darkness games are coming to the big and small screen.
Variety is reporting that producing team Eric Heisserer and Christine Boylan will join production company Hivemind, behind The Witcher and The Expanse, to adapt the tabletop and video games to movies and TV shows as part of a shared universe. Paradox Interactive, the company that has owned the rights since 2015, will work alongside the team. No development deal is in place yet.
"The World of Darkness story universe is deliberately and unapologetically inclusive and diverse, Boylan said. "It has always made a point of including equal gendered characters, protagonists and antagonists of every race, and representation of all creeds — bringing a female and diverse audience to gaming like nothing prior. Its games and fandom are a place where women, POC, and the LGBTQI community feel welcome and we are very proud to bring these stories to life."
"The legacy of these stories is way ahead of its time, inviting issues and perspectives other games ignored," Heisserer said. "This feels like the next step for genre."
Launching in 1991 from creator Mark Rein-Hagen for White Wolf Publishing, World of Darkness began as a series of tabletop games that include Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Mage: The Ascension, Wraith: The Oblivion and Changeling: The Dreaming. The games have been updated and rebooted over the years and have since become popular as a series of video games. The world has also spun off into card games, graphic novels and more. Most recently, Wraith: The Oblivion - Afterlife was released, the first World of Darkness VR game.
As the titles imply, the games allow gamers to play as vampires, werewolves, mages and more in a complex and dark world that has long been forward-thinking in terms of diversity and representation.
Boylan has worked as a producer on shows like The Punisher and Constantine while Heisserer is best known as the writer of Arrival. He's also the writer and showrunner of Netflix's Shadow and Bone adaptation.
"Eric and Christine are among the most extraordinary creators working today," said Hivemind President and Co-Founder Jason Brown. "They’re also gamers who have played in WOD since it began. It’s a rare opportunity when the connection between storyteller and story runs this deep, and that is the alchemy which has led to many of our favorite and most culturally resonant franchises."
Source: Variety