Vampire Survivors is getting an animated TV show adaptation

Vampire Survivors is set to get the TV treatment, amidst a rising interest in game adaptations.
Vampire Survivors is one of many games coming to Xbox Game Pass in November 2022

Vampire Survivors has become the latest video game flagged for an adaptation. Production studio Story Kitchen has reportedly teamed up with the developer and Poncle founder Luca Galante to bring the game’s story to life. As first reported by Deadline, Vampire Survivors is currently being developed as an animated TV series, with the project currently searching for a writer and a TV network.

It will follow the basic premise of the survival-roguelite game, which tasks players with surviving waves of monster attacks, and will flesh out its unique lore – including the rise of the evil Bisconte Draculó and the struggles of the heroic Belpaese family.

Beyond becoming a viral success in late 2022, Vampire Survivors also managed to nab a number of major accolades soon after launch, including a BAFTA award for Best Game and Best Game Design. It was frequently noted as one of the best games of 2022 – including in GamesHub‘s own roundup.

In Story Kitchen, it appears the game has found an eclectic group of enthusiasts. The studio was founded in 2022 by Derek Kolstad, writer and creator of John Wick, Dmitri M. Johnson, producer of Sonic the Hedgehog, and Mike Goldberg, formerly of APA. The team is currently working on a number of major video game projects, including adaptations of Tomb Raider, Splinter Cell, Streets of Rage, and Sifu.

Read: Streets of Rage movie coming from John Wick creator

‘When our Head of Creative, Dan Jevons, flagged Vampire Survivors for us last year upon its initial release, we were prepared to dismiss it as just another vampire game,’ Johnson told Deadline. ‘Hundreds of hours played later, we were all hooked, and we just could not get enough! Needless to say, we’re truly honoured to partner with this incredible team and to continue the Vampire Survivors story!’

Jevons was similarly excited by the planned TV adaptation.

‘Despite being responsible for countless hours of lost productivity at Story Kitchen, we are both thrilled, and honoured, to partner with Poncle to bring the bombastic gothic world of Vampire Survivors to life in linear media,’ he said.

Poncle founder Luca Galante called the project a ‘dream come true’.

‘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!’ 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.’

We’ll likely hear more about the upcoming Vampire Survivors adaptation over the coming year.

Leah J. Williams is a gaming and entertainment journalist who's spent years writing about the games industry, her love for The Sims 2 on Nintendo DS and every piece of weird history she knows. You can find her tweeting @legenette most days.