Those who have been gaming for over twenty years may well remember Driver, the open world action/driving game series originally developed by Reflections Interactive.
It was pretty popular on the first PlayStation console, though only the initial entry garnered widespread acclaim, with Driver 2 and especially Driver 3 turning out to be disappointments.
Eventually, Reflections was purchased by Ubisoft in 2006, and a new game titled Driver: San Francisco launched in September 2011 to positive reviews and decent sales. There hasn’t been another mainline entry in the last decade, but Ubisoft did just announce a live-action TV series based on the IP.
Driver won’t be airing on any of the known streaming services, though, as Ubisoft struck an exclusive deal with Binge.com, an up-and-coming free streaming platform dedicated specifically to gaming adaptations.
Danielle Kreinik, head of television development at Ubisoft Film & Television and one of the executive producers alongside Jason Altman and Genevieve Jones, said:
We’re always open to new vehicles for storytelling so we’re thrilled to partner with Binge, an exciting new platform that’s uniquely dedicated to creating premium entertainment for gaming fans. Our mission at Ubisoft is to bring our games to life in new and exciting ways and create content set in the world, culture and community of gaming. Working with Binge will allow us to bring a Driver series directly to the audience who is most passionate about seeing this franchise come to life.
Allan Ungar (credited on IMDB for having produced the Uncharted fan film that featured Nathan Fillion starring as Nathan Drake), who is set to produce for Binge alongside Vincent Talenti, added:
As longtime fans of the franchise, we’re excited to deliver an original, premium, and rich storytelling experience that will take fans and newcomers on a thrilling ride.
Whether this new Driver adaptation also spurs the development of a new game project at Ubisoft remains to be seen, but we’ll let you know if that happens.
