Everybody loves it when someone inevitably breaks out Catan at a party. And by everybody, I mean those who love getting locked into a board game that’ll take you about four hours to figure out how to best trade some supplies to expand your settlements. Joking aside, Catan can be a good time. But can it make for good TV? Netflix sure thinks so. It just acquired the rights to adapt it for the streaming screen.
Announced via a post on Tudum, Netflix is gearing up to bring the 1995 tabletop game centered on the thrills of bartering and colonizing to film and TV via a partnership with tabletop publisher Asmodee. The streaming service isn’t just investing in a single project, but rather “a slate of scripted and unscripted projects inspired by the hit board game.” On the partnership Jinny Howe, the head of scripted series at Netflix US and Canada, said:
We knew landing this deal would be as game-changing as a well-placed settlement, so we decided to pool our resources across series, features, animation, and games and show Asmodee the full power of Netflix when we work together. Hardcore “Settlers” are going to lose their minds, and new fans will finally learn just how important a sheep trade can be.
Honestly, if they just make a fancy animated manual for the board game, I’ll be happy. And I do mean that, as someone for whom it takes at least several rounds of a board game before the rules really click in my head. And this game has so many damn pieces and cards and rules. Ugh. Make it simple for me, Netflix. I’ll also take a Catan-based cottage core lesbian romance centered around some sheep farmers and their Australian Shepherd named Pepper. Assuming such a thing isn’t illegal to make anymore, that is.
