Forget 'Fallout' — Prime Video's next big video game TV adaptation is now in development

Ella Purnell in Fallout TV show on Amazon Prime Video
(Image credit: Amazon Studios)

Amazon looks set to try and follow the phenomenal success of "Fallout" with another big ticket video game adaptation: "Mass Effect". According to a report in Variety, the streaming service has just begun development on its version of BioWare's space opera RPG.

Details are thin right now, but the site reports Daniel Casey is on board to write (he penned "F9: The Fast Saga") while executive producers include BioWare producer Mike Gamble and Ari Arad. The latter has a track record of video game adaptations that include "Uncharted" and, for better or worse, "Borderlands".

How a "Mass Effect" TV series takes shape is going to be fascinating to watch. The sprawling game series owes more than a little credit to "Star Trek" and hasn't had a recent entry since 2017's "Mass Effect: Andromeda". Whether Amazon MGM Studios decides to stay true to the game(s) or take things in a different direction remains to be seen.

For its part, BioWare has teased a fifth "Mass Effect" game that could see the return of famed protagonist Commander Shepard.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition

(Image credit: EA)

Rolling the dice on a video game adaptation isn't always a sure thing (just look at the aforementioned "Borderlands" movie) but I'd argue Amazon's onto a good thing here. "Mass Effect" is dense, so there's more than enough material on offer to make a very watchable sci-fi show with the right direction. Especially if Amazon dips into "Rings of Power" levels of budget to fund the world-building.

Sadly, we don't have any idea of when "Mass Effect" may touch down on Prime Video. That's a shame because while "Fallout" season 2 is officially in the works, that also doesn't have a release date yet. We could be waiting well into 2025 if not 2026 to continue those adventures.

All's not lost, though. Here's the 7 best video game adaptations to stream right now while we wait for Amazon to deliver the goods.

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Jeff Parsons
UK Editor In Chief

Jeff is UK Editor-in-Chief for Tom’s Guide looking after the day-to-day output of the site’s British contingent. Rising early and heading straight for the coffee machine, Jeff loves nothing more than dialling into the zeitgeist of the day’s tech news.

A tech journalist for over a decade, he’s travelled the world testing any gadget he can get his hands on. Jeff has a keen interest in fitness and wearables as well as the latest tablets and laptops. A lapsed gamer, he fondly remembers the days when problems were solved by taking out the cartridge and blowing away the dust.