Minecraft's a dinky little indie game that released in 2009, and by "dinky" I mean "so incredibly popular it became as recognisable and widespread as the Lego blocks that likely inspired it". Over its lifespan, the game has sold over 300 million copies, a historical first for games as a medium.
So, naturally, it's getting the Netflix treatment. Announced today on most official Minecraft and Netflix channels, the series is part of the ongoing 15th anniversary celebrations for the literal and metaphorical blockbuster game. These celebrations include, fittingly, "15 days of exclusive items and daily specials". As for the announcement itself? Well, details are incredibly slim.
The short teaser displays a Creeper wandering onto the screen like the Pixar lamp, except instead of murdering a letter in cold blood, it explodes—revealing the lava-flooded nether with a giant, ominous, pointedly non-blocky "N" looming over everything with threatening energy, like some kind of obelisk built in tribute to a dark and vengeful god.
The series will be created in conjunction with WildBrain, the studio behind shows like Sonic Prime and, fittingly, Lego property Ninjago: Dragons Rising. As shared by Variety, the show promises to feature an "original story with new characters, showing the world of Minecraft in a new light". In other words, no, this isn't the second coming of the now-unplayable Minecraft: Story Mode.
I've played Minecraft some—because I was alive in the mid 2010s, so of course I have—however, my block building days are long behind me. Still, I'm…cautiously optimistic? Minecraft isn't exactly rife with deep storytelling, but I've enjoyed enough Lego movies to know that doesn't automatically doom the whole venture.
But just like with that Among Us animated series, I'm mostly just baffled it's taken this long. This series is, I'd wager, going to print money whether it's critically acclaimed or not. "More updates to come," promises the video description, so get your theorycrafting in now.
