Netflix is teaming up with Microsoft and Mojang to craft a Minecraft animated show, and the timing couldn't be worse

Netflix is teaming up with Minecraft creator Mojang to craft an animated TV series based on the incredibly popular sandbox video game.

Revealed via a 20-second teaser on its social media channels, the streaming titan revealed it was developing an animated TV show that’ll be set in the block-based world that’s owned by Mojang and parent company Microsoft.

Few details about the in-development series have been revealed, such as a confirmed release date and/or voice cast. However, Netflix and Mojang provided a little insight into its creation via a brief news post on the official Minecraft website, including which animation studio will lead development on the forthcoming project and the fact that it won’t feature everyone’s favorite block star, Steve.

NETFLIX & CRAFT! ⛏️ From Netflix & Mojang Studios, an animated Minecraft series is officially in the works. pic.twitter.com/yo41rEmAPnMay 30, 2024

“We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve joined forces with Netflix to produce an animated series set in our blocky universe,” writer Per Landin said.

“The series will tell an original story with new characters and reflect the world of Minecraft in a new light. It is currently in development by the talented studio WildBrain (creators of Sonic Prime, Ninjago: Dragons Rising, and Carmen Sandiego) and will debut exclusively on Netflix. We couldn’t be more excited, so stay tuned for more information!”

Netflix’s Minecraft series is just the latest animated production to be announced for and/or be in development at the world’s best streaming service. Ultraman: Rising, one of next month’s new Netflix movies, will be the next one to emerge off the streamer’s animated production line, with the flick set to fly onto the platform on June 14.

On the TV front, Arcane season 2, the next entry in one of the best Netflix shows ever, will debut in November. Other highly anticipated animated shows include A Devil May Cry series, a Tomb Raider show, and an animated spin-off of the incredibly popular Netflix TV Original Stranger Things.

Mining the adaptation well

Minecraft Dungeons key art, which shows various characters charging towards the screen

Minecraft Dungeons, one of the franchise’s many spin-offs, wasn’t a universal success. (Image credit: Mojang)

With its cute, block-based graphics and family-friendly appeal, some people (myself included) have found it bizarre that an animated Minecraft series hasn’t been attempted before. The fact that we’re finally getting one from Netflix now feels long overdue.

That said, in some ways, Netflix’s announcement couldn’t have come at a worse time. For one, the reveal comes 13 days after Minecraft‘s 15th anniversary – its actual birthday took place on May 17, for those wondering – which would’ve been a more fitting date to make this announcement on. Unless work is well underway on the animated series, it won’t launch on Netflix until after Warner Bros’ live-action Minecraft movie arrives in theaters, either. The long-gestating film, which will star Jack Black, Jason Momoa, and Kate McKinnon, among others, is currently slated to arrive in cinemas worldwide in April 2025.

If that movie fails to leave its mark on audiences, there might not be much of an appetite for Netflix’s animated offering from viewers whenever it’s released. Indeed, few other Minecraft spin-offs or adaptations – Minecraft Dungeons, Minecraft Legends, and Telltale’s narrative-driven Minecraft video game adaptation to name three – have struggled to match the original game’s unprecedented success. There’s little guarantee, then, that its forthcoming movie and TV reworkings will do likewise. We’ll find out if Netflix and Warner Bros. have built adaptations befitting Mojang’s universally adored video game in the months and years to come.