Summary
This year’s Gamescom Opening Night Live ceremony was possibly the biggest yet, delivering two hours of reveals, updates, and brand-new game announcements. While there were plenty of smaller reveals, Gamescom had a surprising number of show-stoppers this year, andAmazon Prime’sSecret Levelwas one such announcement.
Revealed for the first time at yesterday’s Gamescom ONL presentation,Secret Levelis an Amazon animated anthology show created by Tim Miller’s Blur Studio, the same studio behindLove, Death & Robots.Secret Levelwill consist of 15 episodes, each one focusing on a different game adaptation. From classic franchises likeDungeons and Dragonsto more recent IPs likeConcord,Secret Levelis set to adapt licenses from across all corners of the gaming industry.
Every Video Game Collaboration Confirmed for Secret Level
Armored Core
FromSoftware’s third-person mech shooter franchise,Armored Corewill have its own dedicated episode in Amazon’sSecret Level.Armored Corecan be spotted several times inSecret Level’s reveal trailer, with a titular mech suit dashing across a barren landscape towards the start of the trailer, and a pilot shown throughout the trailer at different points.
Concord
PlayStation’s newest first-party IP,Concordis a 5v5 hero shooter with a narrative throughline.Concordis already set to release weekly cinematics, so it should be fun to see even more from the world via itsSecret Levelepisode.
Crossfire
A multiplayer tactical shooter that has gained extreme popularity in China and South Korea over the last decade and a bit,Crossfirewill appear in Amazon’sSecret Level.Interestingly, this isn’t the first timeCrossfirehas been given a TV adaptation, with aChinese live-action adaptationdropping in July 2020, though that series focused on two men wanting to play the game professionally rather than an adaptation of the game itself.
Dungeons and Dragons
The grandfather of gaming,Dungeons and Dragonshas had more than its fair share of adaptations over the years, including a critically acclaimedrecent live-action adaptation,Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. ButD&Dis set to receive another adaptation with its own episode ofSecret Level.
Exodus
Being developed by Archetype Entertainment,Exodusis a Sci-Fi action-adventure RPG that doesn’t currently have a release date. Despite that,Exoduswill get its own episode ofSecret Level.
Honor of Kings
Another mega-hit from China,Honor of Kingsis aTencent-published MOBAthat originally launched all the way back in 2015 but received its worldwide release just a few months ago.Honor of Kingswill also appear in Amazon’sSecret Level.
Mega Man
One ofCapcom’s oldest franchises,Mega Manappeared several times throughoutSecret Level’s announcement trailer. While many ofSecret Level’s episodes seem to share a similarly realistic art style,Mega Man’s episode will seemingly be a bit more anime-inspired.
New World: Aeternum
An MMO RPG from Amazon itself,New World: Aeternumwill feature in the animated Prime streaming show.
Pac-Man
Pac-Man appears for just a split-second inSecret Level’s reveal trailer and seemingly features quite a realistic art style. While it’s relatively easy to predict the general plotlines ofSecret Level’s other episodes, the same can’t be said for itsPac-Manepisode.
PlayStation
Appearing at the end ofSecret Level’s trailer separately fromConcord, it seems PlayStation will get another episode for its characters. Though rather than focus on one particular PlayStation IP, this episode ofSecret Levelseems like it’ll throw a few PlayStation mascots into the same arena, withGod of War’s KratosandGhost of Tsushima’s Jin Sakai appearing in the show’s trailer.
Sifu
A perfect choice for an animated anthology series, 2021’s fast-paced beat-em-upSifuwill receive an episode inSecret Level. The game’s heavily stylized art style,John Wick-like action, and simple story make it a great pick forSecret Level.
Spelunky
One of the earliest Indie game successes,Spelunkywas a 2008 2D platformerin which players control an adventurous spelunker as they explore procedurally generated caverns. Based on the tiny glimpse fans got ofSpelunky’sSecret Levelepisode, it looks like another faithful adaptation of the game’s unique art style.
The Outer Worlds 2
A 2019Sci-Fi action-RPG developed by Obsidian Entertainment,The Outer Worldsfeatures some excellent world-building and a distinct sense of humor that leans heavily into satire, making it a great choice for a short animated adaptation. An interesting detail to point out, however, is thatSecret Level’s trailer specifically stated it was partnering withThe Outer Worlds 2, a sequel that was announced in 2021 and is still presumably quite a ways off, withAvowedstill set to come out first.
Unreal Tournament
A classic ofthe arena shooter genre,Unreal Tournamentdebuted in 1999, and a new entry hasn’t been seen in a decade. Despite that, its legacy in the video game industry is still quite strong, and it should make for a good episode of Amazon’sSecret Level.
Warhammer 40,000
A tabletop wargame that can trace its roots all the way back to 1987,Warhammer 40,000is an incredibly iconic Sci-Fi/fantasy franchise that’s received plenty of adaptations in the past, just likeDungeons & Dragons. There’s a wealth ofWarhammer 40Klorefor Amazon and Blur Studio to use as inspiration for its episode ofSecret Level, though it seems like it’ll focus on the series mascots, the Space Marines.
