The Buzziest Fantasy Video Game Franchise Of The Decade Is Becoming A Bold TV Series

Fantasy franchises are always trying to create the most immersive world. Game of Thrones has its early modern inspiration, Lord of the Rings has its deep mythology, and The Chronicles of Narnia has its take on childhood pretend worlds and religious iconography. However, since its creation, there’s always been one fantasy world that has always been more immersive than anything else: the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.

Countless art forms, from theater to movies to video games, have attempted to replicate the feeling of crafting a story with a Dungeon Master around a table. Now, one of the most accurate video game adaptations is getting a TV show from one of the most successful showrunners — but can it translate the same experience?

According to Deadline, HBO is developing a Baldur’s Gate 3 series with The Last of Us co-creator Craig Mazin as showrunner. Baldur’s Gate 3 is the most recent installment in the Baldur’s Gate video game series set within the Dungeons & Dragons universe. Unlike the first two games, Baldur’s Gate 3 was developed by Larian Studios and received basically universal acclaim, even being brought up in conversations about the greatest video game of all time.

While this series may be coming from one of the minds behind The Last of Us, it has one big difference from that series. The Last of Us was an incredibly faithful adaptation of the events of the games, but this upcoming series will continue the story of Baldur’s Gate.

This is probably because of the format of the game itself. Much like Dungeons & Dragons, Baldur’s Gate 3 is an incredibly customizable game. From the character the player chooses (or builds) and its evolution, to the party members and romanceable options, to the side quests, it’s highly unlikely that any two players have the exact same experience.

However, this isn’t an impossible task. Fallout is perhaps the most famous open-world game ever, but the Amazon Prime Video series was able to adapt the feel of the games by telling a story separate from the games themselves, but with plenty of references and shared plot elements. It’s likely this series will be similar, just showing the world after the events of the game.

Craig Mazin’s involvement has caused some concern in the fandom, however. The Chernobyl creator was the showrunner for The Last of Us for its first two seasons with the game’s director, Neil Druckmann, but Druckmann stepped away from writing and directing ahead of the upcoming Season 3. According to video game journalist Geoff Keighley, Baldur’s Gate developers Larian Studios will not be involved in the series, leading some to believe the show won’t be as accurate an adaptation as The Last of Us.

There’s another suspected downside to this new project. After The Last of Us Season 1, Druckmann and Mazin said the second game would be adapted into more than one season. But if Mazin is already lining up his next project, it’s certainly looking like Season 3 may be its last.

But even if The Last of Us ends, Craig Mazin’s video game era will continue apace with a brand-new chapter in the Baldur’s Gate story.