The sci-fi motion world of Mass Effect is next to affix the transmedia world of video game-to-TV adaptations. According to a report by VarietyAmazon MGM is continuing with a TV show based on the 2007-2021 game series.
The series will be written by screenwriter Daniel Saga, who it didn’t do particularly well critically but it grossed over $700 million at the box office. Mike Gamble, studio head of Mass Effect developer BioWare, who worked on two of the 4 essential Mass Effect titles, will also executive produce the series alongside Hollywood’s ubiquitous executive producer Avi Arad.
While reports don’t indicate what the Mass Effect adaptation will be based on, it is easy to assume that it will focus on the more popular original Mass Effect trilogy. These three games told the stories of Commander Shepard discovering the threat of extraterrestrial reapers from outer space. Mass Effect Andromeda 2017 was a critical and sales disappointment for publisher Electronic Arts, so it is unlikely to be considered creatively ripe for adaptation.
This news comes on November 7, which BioWare has designated as its annual N7 Day, a reference to Commander Shepard’s N7 armor in the video games. While the announcement doesn’t officially come from EA or Amazon, it does give fans a reason to have fun N7 Day.
It’s likely that this adaptation deal is a direct results of the success of Amazon Prime, which is one of Amazon Prime’s biggest streaming successes in recent years. This adaptation, in which Bethesda Game Studios producer Todd Howard was closely involved, was a big boost for the series. Mass Effect, with its space soap opera elements and unique world, probably looks like a logical follow-up to its 17 Emmy nominations.