Chinese technology company NetEase is working on an internet drama series based on its hit battle royale mobile game Knives Out.
The publisher showed off a preview of the show to audiences at its Fourth Annual 520 Game Enthusiasts' Day on May 20th in Guangzhou, China.
The battle royale genre is actually inspired by a movie of the same name released in 2000, which in itself was based on a book by Koushun Takami released in 1999.
A cult classic, the now influential story starred a group of school pupils forced to fight to the death and be the last one standing.
Scripts out
The author of the screenplay for Battle Royale, Kenta Fukasaku, was recently hired by NetEase as the head consultant on Knives Out earlier this year.
According to a report by Newzoo, Knives Out is the most popular battle royale title released on Android and iOS to date.
Thanks by and large to releasing before major competitors like PUBG and Fortnite on mobile in November 2017 it has reaped the benefits and racked up more than 50 million MAUs in January.
The game has also proved top performer financially. According to a separate report by Seeking Alpha, Knives Out pulled in $24 million in February alone.
During its Game Enthusasts' Day NetEase also took the opportunity to show off a trailer for a newly produced Onmyoji live action movie.
Onmyoji is a turn-based fantasy strategy game for with PVP and PVE elements. Using the Heian period as its background, the story follows the onmyoji Abe no Seimei on a quest for his lost memories.
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