Microids, What the Prod to adapt game franchise Syberia as animated series

The Syberia video game franchise was created by Benoît Sokal

Hit video game franchise Syberia will be turned into an animated TV series after Paris-based prodco What the Prod picked up the rights from French game publisher Microids.

What the Prod is the company set up by cinema, advertising and game veterans Ashargin Poiré, Valérie Puech and Loick Tanguy. It will adapt the “iconic universe” of the Syberia games into a “mind-blowing” animated TV series, the company said.

Microids and What the Prod will work together to adapt the games for TV, citing young-adult hits Arcane and The Last of Us as reference points.

The Syberia games, which debuted 24 years ago, were created by Belgian comic artist and video game developer Benoît Sokal. The games centre on a young New York lawyer who travels to various fictional locations in continental Europe and former Soviet states during the 2000s, where she encounters fantastical creatures as well as highly advanced automatons.

“Twenty years after the release of the first episode of Syberia, our ambition is to craft an animated series inspired by the game’s incredible universe, speaking to the fans as well as newcomers thanks to a modern writing style paying tribute to these very best dystopian and uchronic [fictional time period] masterpieces. The art direction, the type and quality of animation will guarantee a mind-blowing experience halfway between reality and fantasy,” said Poiré.

Elliot Grassiano, founder and chief operating officer at Microids, added: “It’s a real pleasure to see Syberia coming to life in an animated format. This series will be a new opportunity for players and new spectators to discover or re-discover Syberia’s fascinating world.”