Elden Ring might not be getting the TV spotlight that some fans have been hoping for, but FromSoftware’s other franchise Armored Core certainly is.

Amazon’s upcoming anthology series Secret Level will include an episode based on the mech battling series Armored Core. This animated series takes viewers on a journey inside the universe of a selection of games, that have never been shown before. Fans can get a glimpse at what’s to come thanks to a trailer revealed on day one of Gamescom.

The animated show is from the producers of Netflix’s Love + Death & Robots which was a breakout hit for the streaming platform showing breathtaking animation with unique stories. That means Secret Level is in great hands, and fans would want it to be given the popularity of these franchises.

Alongside Armored Core, Secret Level will include episodes that feature Dungeons & Dragons, Mega Man, Pac-Man, and Warhammer 40,000 among others. These are some of the most popular gaming franchises ever, and now they’re getting a fresh animated take for viewers to dive into.

Season one of Secret Level will include 15 episodes, however, the length of each episode is unknown. Just know that they will be shorts so don’t expect full-length episodes, or complete seasons for any of these franchises. 

Secret Level is set to premiere on Dec. 10, 2024, so fans don’t have too long before they get to see these loved franchises on screen. It isn’t clear whether all episodes of the show will be shared at once or if it will be weekly, but expect that information to surface closer to its release.

If you want to get your Armored Core fix in before the show gets here you can purchase and play Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC right now.

Gamescom Opening Night Live has taken a short break from game trailers to preview a new anthology series coming to Prime Video which is a love letter to gaming. Created by the same team behind the excellent Love, Death, and Robots it features stories set in the worlds of some of our favourite games.

That includes (deep breath) Armored Core, Concord, Crossfire, Dungeons & Dragons, Exodus, Honor of Kings, Mega Man, New World: Aeternum, PAC-MAN, Sifu, Spelunky, The Outer Worlds, Unreal Tournament and Warhammer 40,000.

It also includes “various PlayStation Studios games” and you can see from the header image that includes God of War! It seems this will be a special “PlayStation” episode that features our favourite characters, so Kratos may finally get to meet Nathan Drake, Aloy, Joel and Ellie and Ratchet and Clank. That’s just a guess by the way, but wouldn’t that be awesome?

“Secret Level weaves a tapestry of iconic games across multiple mediums, to tell a series of unique and captivating stories,” said Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon MGM Studios. “Created and led by Tim Miller, Blur Studio, and Supervising Director Dave Wilson, each episode will take our global Prime Video customers on a brand new journey with breath-taking animation and imaginative storytelling.”

Source: YouTube

In what will likely be the most memorable moment of Gamescom Opening Night Live, a very emotional Tim Miller, co-founder of Blur Studios and director of Deadpool, has shown of footage of the upcoming Amazon Prime video game anthology series, Secret Level. This is coming so fast, but I definitely saw Mega Man in there.

Secret Level is supposedly a series of original short narratives set around various video games. It’s an incredibly eclectic mix including Armored Core, Sifu, and Spelunky alongside more mainstream stuff like Concord and God of War. Maybe also Pac-Man.

There's also Mega Man, but he's doing that really cliche gear-up sequence. Like, it's so ubiquitous that Doom Eternal even opened with it.

I am entirely unable to process what’s going on. I’m not sure if there’s some sort of metanarrative here. As I mentioned, it’s reportedly going to be a series of short narratives (via Deadline), but the sizzle reel doesn’t exactly clarify that.

The introduction by Tim Miller was especially interesting. I mentioned to my colleagues that he sounded like he was on the verge of tears before he seemed to break further and admit his emotions. Some sounded cynical about the sincerity, but as a prolific crier, it seemed genuine. Listen, it’s sometimes easy to get emotional about stuff. I can cry pretty easily on some days. Dude might just really love showing off his team’s efforts.

Secret Level airs December 10, 2024 on Amazon Prime.

The post Sizzle reel shows off game anthology series Secret Level – wait, was that Mega Man? appeared first on Destructoid.

Following its decision to cut six percent of its workforce last March, EA has announced another round of layoffs - this time affecting five percent of staff (around 670 employees) - as it moves away from "future licensed IP" toward its "owned IP, sports, and massive online communities".

In an email to staff announcing today's layoffs, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said the cuts were part of a continuing effort to "optimise our global real estate footprint to best support our business".

In order to achieve its goals, Wilson said EA will be "streamlining [its] company operations", "sunsetting games and moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry". Additionally, it'll "double down on our biggest opportunities — including our owned IP, sports, and massive online communities".

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