Series Based on Indie Game Development Might Come to HBO

HBO, the best-known premium cable channel in the world, with producer Scott Rudin have optioned the rights to create a television series that is based on the documentary Indie Game: The Movie, which depicts the struggles and success of a number of indie game developers.

The documentary has been directed by Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky and spotlights such indie developers like Jonathan Blow, who has created Braid, Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes, the developers of Super Meat Boy, and Phil Fish, who launched Fez.

The movie was first shown at the Sundance Film Festival after being financed almost exclusively via a campaign on Kickstarter in 2010.

HBO apparently spotted the movie at Sundance and thought that the subject matter might be a good fit for its upmarket audience.

Initial speculation mentioned that the HBO show might be a comedy focusing more on the quirky nature of indie video game creators, rather than on their problems.

Pajot and Swirsky posted on the official Facebook page, “HBO has optioned IGTM for the basis of a (fictional) series. It is NOT a comedy. It is NOT a sitcom. The information came out and someone filled in a blank, and this is why: The (potential) show is being developed within the 1/2 hour department within HBO.”

They added, “We are told that 1/2 hr department is often shorthanded ‘comedy department’. Full hour dept = ‘drama department’. That is the basis of the ‘Comedy’ label.

“The show is being produced by Scott Rudin – the producer of ‘The Social Network’, ‘True Grit’, ‘Moneyball’, ‘Dragon Tattoo’ & nearly everything Wes Anderson… The people involved, the network involved – all are, BY FAR, the best people possible to make this show.”

An HBO series on video game development could do much to further legitimize the medium, which has been under attack from the more conservative elements of society for its perceived bad influence that it has on the young audience.