Indie mega-hit Vampire Survivors gets animated series

Despite having virtually nothing resembling a story, unstoppable indie mega-hit Vampire Survivors is getting an animated series from Story Kitchen, the media company founded by Sonic movie co-producer Dmitri Johnson and John Wick's Derek Kolstad.

Solo dev Luca Galante of studio Poncle says "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," joking that "the most important thing in Vampire Survivors is the story."

"It’s also great to be partnering up with such experienced and talented people to make the show," he adds. "I do wonder if they've realized that there isn't a single vampire in Vampire Survivors, though."

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Game consulting agency Robot Teddy, which has worked with the devs behind games such as Superhot and What the Golf, will also be contributing to the series' production. Director of business development Alessandro Bovenzi promises an "uncanny combination of thrilling storytelling, excellent animation, and undeadly creatures."

Vampire Survivors' runaway success and near-gravitational pull makes it a logical pick for an adaptation, and animation is a great medium to leverage its wonderful character and monster designs, but the simple and arcade-y nature of the game does pose some creative challenges for a TV series. How do you turn an auto-bullet hell game into a compelling story? Maybe you don't need to go hard on the narrative and can just focus on a visually captivating show about a vampire hunter who kills a zillion ghouls and goblins. I don't know. It'll basically have to be an original story, and it's sure to be interesting.

More than six months after launch, Vampire Survivors is going stronger than ever. It dropped its second DLC, Tides of the Foscari, just weeks ago on the heels of a big BAFTA win. The $5 indie beat heavyweights like Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarok to claim Best Game, and it's well-deserved. If you haven't played it yet, be prepared to never want to stop playing it once you start.

Vampire Survivors has inspired many imitators, from a surprisingly good Renfield spin-off to an unbelievably polished fan-made vtuber game.

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.