Netflix has teamed up with Supercell to turn the Finnish game developer’s popular Clash of Clans and Clash Royale mobile games into an animated series for an all-ages audience. 

This deal comes on the heels of former Netflix kids & family animated series director Curtis Lelash joining Supercell as head of film & TV in May 2023.

Netflix has greenlit the as-yet-untitled series, which is in pre-production now, as an adventure-comedy in which game avatar Barbarian must rally a band of misfits to defend their village—and also figure out the absurd politics of their war. 

This is the first small-screen expansion of the Clash IP, which is one of the biggest mobile game brands of all time. Clash of Clans (2012) and Clash Royale (2016) have amassed four billion downloads between them, with players worldwide logging 180 billion hours on both titles combined. Clash of Clans alone has generated more than US$10 billion in revenue since its release. 

John Derderian, Netflix’s VP of animation series, notes that the Clash brand “has been a global gaming phenomenon for over a decade—filled with humor, action and unforgettable characters perfect for an animated series adaptation.” 

As the global streamer continues to chase its own video game ambitions, it’s also possible that Netflix could add Supercell’s Clash games to its platform, or make new ones based on the IP. However, a company spokesperson had no comment about this at press time. 

Meanwhile, Vancouver’s ICON Creative Studio is lined up for the series’ animation work; comedy writer Ron Weiner (Futurama, Arrested Development) is penning scripts; and Fletcher Moules (Entergalatic, Agent Elvis)—who previously directed several animated promo videos that have racked up “hundreds of millions” views on Clash of Clan’s YouTube channel (21.3 million subscribers)—is on board as the showrunner.  

Image courtesy of Netflix.