Amazon Prime Video scores sci-fi TV series that could be even bigger than Fallout

We'll likely feel the effect for years...

Mass Effect Legendary Edition screen
(Image credit: EA / Bioware)
Quick Summary

Amazon has confirmed that a TV series based on the Mass Effect game franchise is in development.

It's to be written by Daniel Casey, who also penned Fast & Furious 9.

Amazon Prime Video is on a role when it comes to video games adaptations. Not only has it broken viewing records with Fallout, gained a cult following for Like a Dragon, and has Tomb Raider to come, it has now been confirmed that a TV series based on the hugely popular sci-fi RPG epic, Mass Effect, is in the works.

Amazon has reportedly hired the writer of Fast & Furious 9, Daniel Casey, to pen the show for its streaming service. As Variety reveals, he'll also act as executive producer alongside Ari Arad and EA / Bioware stalwart, Michael Gamble – who is also overseeing the next RPG chapter.

Little else is known about the new show as yet, but Amazon is said to have been in negotiations to sign the license since 2021.

In many ways it is the perfect game franchise to turn into a TV or film series. After its extraordinary work on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, it opted to repeat the formula but in its own sci-fi universe. By doing so, it created one of the most detailed and rich settings in gaming – one that is ripe for adaptation to the small screen.

The universe, characters, races and worlds it established will make for fascinating viewing, whether Casey chooses to adapt the games' story and centre on Shepherd as the lead, or if he decides to go in another direction and tell a whole new tale.

I personally hope he chooses the latter – it has worked well for Fallout and is more interesting for fans of the games and newcomers alike. The Last of Us is superb, for sure, but knowing the outcome already dampens its appeal a touch.

Whatever happens, it could finally cement Amazon as the new king of sci-fi, as it seeks to snatch the crown from Apple TV+.

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Rik Henderson
News Editor

Rik is T3’s news editor, which means he looks after the news team and the up-to-the-minute coverage of all the hottest gadgets and products you’ll definitely want to read about. And, with more than 35 years of experience in tech and entertainment journalism, including editing and writing for numerous websites, magazines, and newspapers, he’s always got an eye on the next big thing.

Rik also has extensive knowledge of AV, TV streaming and smart home kit, plus just about everything to do with games since the late 80s. Prior to T3, he spent 13 years at Pocket-lint heading up its news team, and was a TV producer and presenter on such shows as Channel 4's GamesMaster, plus Sky's Games World, Game Over, and Virtual World of Sport.