Netflix and Mojang to create animated Minecraft series

Netflix has partnered with Mojang to create a new animated series based on Minecraft.

The news represents another significant transmedia collaboration between two of the entertainment industry's biggest players in Netfilx and Microsoft.

The series is pitched as an "original story with new characters" that will show the world of Minecraft in a new light. Sonic Prime and Carmen Sandiego animation studio WildBrain will work with Netflix and Mojang to bring the CG-animated show to life.

A press release states the Minecraft show will "debut exclusively on Netflix," but didn't reveal when it will arrive on the streaming platform.

Minecraft has sold over 300 million copies worldwide in 15 years. The sandbox adventure was created by Swedish studio Mojang, which was purchased by Microsoft for $2.5 billion in 2014 and  subsequently rolled into the Xbox Game Studios family.

Netflix previously worked with Telltale Games on a tweaked version of Minecraft: Story Mode, an interactive animated adventure series that debuted in 2018. The project was eventually pulled from the streamer.

Major video game studios are attempting to harness the power of the transmedia wheel to capture new audiences and enhance their brands.

Adaptations of Super Mario Bros. and The Last Us delivered huge success for Nintendo and Sony, respectively, while Microsoft-owned ZeniMax appeared pleased with the initial response to Amazon's Fallout show.

Other companies including Riot Games, CD Projekt Red, and Sega have also brought franchises like League of Legends, Cyberpunk, and Sonic the Hedgehog to streaming services and big screens in recent years. All signs suggest there'll be plenty more where those came from.