The Xbox videogame, which was inspired by A Bug’s Life and Honey I Shrunk The Kids, is being adapted by Star Wars: Clone Wars writer Brent Friedman.
It marks the latest videogame to get the television treatment following the likes of Netflix’s Arcane and Paramount+’s Halo.
The series, which exists in the same universe as the game, follows four friends, who the summer before high school, plan “big things” to elevate their social standing, but their plans are upended when they stumble upon shrinking technology that makes them two inches tall. Now the four shrunken friends must learn to survive in a towering backyard that’s a jungle full of enormous predators and hiding a vast corporate conspiracy threatening their entire town.
The game was released via early access in July 2020 and has had over 10M players and will be launched wider in September.
Obsidian Entertainment and Xbox are adapting the game into a series in association with Waterproof Studios/SC Productions, Kinetic Media and Bardel Entertainment
Friedman, who also wrote on Star Trek: Enterprise and is adapting Earthworm Jim into a series, will craft the story with Brien Goodrich, who worked on the Halo videogame attached to direct.
The move comes as the development team will be hosting an in-person booth in the interactive zone at San Diego Comic Con in July. The show will then be taken to Kidscreen and Mipcom later this year.
“We couldn’t be more excited about diving into the whimsical universe of Grounded. This partnership will be one of great collaboration, expanding on an already wonderful journey of exploration and adventure,” said Tina Chow, CEO, Bardel Entertainment.
“The team at Obsidian have created an incredible world that has already grabbed the attention of the gaming community. We are excited to work with our incredible partners to bring the story to life in an animated series, added Carl Whiteside, MD, WP/SC Productions.
