The television rumor-mill began to churn early in 2021 with a report that one of the most popular video game franchises of all time, The Elder Scrolls, may allegedly be receiving a Netflix live action series. According to ComicBook, “entertainment insider” Daniel Ritchtman leaked the rumor to his Patreon followers on Monday. “Ritchtman has proven to be pretty reliable source and has had scoops related to the film and television industries ahead of time,” Comicbook shares, exercising cautious excitement.
The rumor remains unsubstantiated, however, it’s ability to gain traction can be attributed to Netflix’s success with known video game properties such as Castlevania and The Witcher, which the streamer is spinning-off into two additional series and a movie. ComicBook cites the success of The Witcher specifically in the rumor, stating that Netflix would want The Elder Scrolls “to be just as massive as The Witcher if it were to come to fruition.”
Netflix pursuit of further gaming franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, Beyond Good and Evil, Cuphead, Cyberpunk 2077, Splinter Cell, and Resident Evil helps lend credibility to the rumor. While there has long been certain “stigma” around video game adaptations, Game Rant credits the commercial and critical success of recent adaptations like Detective Pikachu and The Witcher for the revitalization of the genre.
Bethesda, the studio behind The Elder Scrolls, will already be seeing an adaptation of one of their biggest game series with a Fallout series officially announced at Amazon. The development of this Fallout series at Amazon has led to some speculation regarding the validity of The Elder Scrolls rumor, as it seems Netflix’s competitor already has an established relationship with Bethesda.
Since it’s inception in 1994, The Elder Scrolls has earned its place as a beloved franchise with entries such as Skyrim, Oblivion, Morrowind and Elder Scrolls Online. For this reason, it’s understandable why fans of the franchise would hope this rumor gets an official confirmation from Netflix or Bethesda soon.
However, if the rumor of an The Elder Scrolls series proves untrue, it would not be the first time Netflix found itself at the center of an explosive rumor that misled video game fans. In 2015, The Wall Street Journal reported that Netflix was developing live action series based on The Legend of Zelda games. This rumor excited fans of the franchise on social media, sparking conversations about casting and potential story arcs. However, Time magazine quickly squashed the rumor and thus dashed fans dreams of a Zelda series.
Only time will tell whether this Elder Scrolls rumor will go the way of The Witcher or take an arrow to the knee like the potential The Legend of Zelda series.