The trend of adapting video games for the both the big and small screen is only picking up steam, and Obisidian Entertainment’s Grounded is the newest addition to the list. The online co-op survival title is getting an animated TV show from Brent Friedman, writer of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, with Xbox and Obsidian partnering with Waterproof Studios/SC Productions, Kinetic Media and Bardel Entertainment.
The series will take place in the same world as the game, which is inspired by A Bug’s Life and Honey I Shrunk The Kids. It follows four teens in the 1990s who accidentally get shrunk to the size of ants and must survive the dangers of an ordinary backyard, including ants, spiders, and other towering creatures.
In a similar vein, the show will also feature a group of downsized teenagers, though it’s unclear if it’ll follow the same characters or a new set of faces. There will also be the added element of a corporate conspiracy that threatens to disrupt the lives of the entire town. No release date has been announced, but the team is scheduled to make an appearance at San Diego Comic-Con later this month, so it’s likely more details will surface then.
Friedman, whose writing credits include Call of Duty: Vanguard and Tales of Borderlands, will be crafting the story with director Brien Goodrich, who worked on the Halo games. Grounded marks yet another adaptation of an Xbox property, joining the likes of the Halo television series, which has already been renewed for a second season on Paramount Plus. As for other Microsoft-owned titles, Minecraft is going live-action with Jason Momoa, while a Fallout show is coming to Amazon sometime in the future.
Outside of Microsoft and Xbox, Sony is bringing its works to TV as well. Apart from a Last of Us series in the works at HBO, fans can expect a Horizon Zero Dawn show on Netflix, a God of War adaptation on Amazon, and a Gran Turismo project for an unannounced platform.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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