Battlefield TV series incoming - game to small screen

The Battlefield franchise grabbed a lot of headlines with the annoucement of new game Battlefield 1, which takes players to the trenches of World War 1, far from the modern shooters of recent years.

That change is welcome, and long overdue, and the popularity of this series continues to impress, especially in light of competition from a behemoth like Call of Duty. There could be even more of the franchise to enjoy soon, as there's a TV show in the works.

That's right, Paramount TV is collaborating with Anonymous Content on a Battlefield TV series. Details are pretty hazy at the moment but the press release talks about the narrative of the game quite a bit, an element which DICE has never really handled all that well to date.

“Paramount TV actively seeks smart content from all sectors that will resonate with audiences and translate to compelling programming,” said Amy Powell, President, Paramount TV. “EA’s Battlefield has an incredibly dynamic narrative, coupled with a loyal fan base, which will allow us to bring this exciting and unique property to the small screen. We look forward to working with EA and Anonymous Content and thank Michael Sugar for his tenacity in bringing us this exciting project.”

“Battlefield has a tremendous built-in, engaged fan base, making it a highly coveted piece of IP primed for long-form adaptation,” said Michael Sugar, partner, Anonymous Content. “Together with EA and Paramount TV, we’ll develop the Battlefield TV series with the same commitment to robust storytelling that has made the game such a runaway success for nearly fifteen years.”

It's definitely more realistic to talk about that large fan base, though given most of the popularity of the games stems from the multiplayer side it's not at all clear that these guys and gals would be interested in seeing a dramatic long form series.

We're expecting this to take a long while to come together, if it ever happens.