This article was published on November 16, 2012

Amazon Studios adds another comedy show, ‘Gamers’, to its series development slate


Amazon Studios adds another comedy show, ‘Gamers’, to its series development slate

Amazon Studios has announced yet another original content project, a comedy show called ‘Gamers‘.

Just to recap, Amazon Studios uses audience feedback to develop original entertainment and, since the division’s launch in November 2010, more than 10,000 movie scripts and 1,800 series pilots have been submitted.

You may remember that back in June, Amazon enlisted Hellraiser’s Clive Barker to bring Zombies vs. Gladiators a step closer to our screens, making it one of only a handful of projects to be developed past the script-submission stage.

Since then, Amazon Studios has gone head-to-head with Netflix after selecting its first four original TV projects for production, while it also optioned another two children’s series in its quest for original content. It’s also introducing a digital comic book, after Blackburn Burrow first came to Amazon Studios in the form of a feature film screenplay back in 2010.

As for Gamers, the comedy entails four friends in their early twenties, meandering through post-college life with an “overpowering addiction to video games.”

Amazon says it optioned this series because it’s a “funny and relatable show about friends who spend as much time together in the virtual world as they do in the real world”. Plus, it says the idea of integrating video games into the everyday lives of the characters was a big win.

This is the latest comedy show optioned by Amazon Studios, following hot on the heels of ‘Those Who Can’t‘, a proposed show based around three immature teachers. It also added Support, and The Face & the Heel in late September/early October.

“Video games are so ubiquitous, such a crucial part of our society, I can’t believe this show hasn’t been done yet,” says Gabriel Duran, the project’s creator. “It also seemed like a great way to justify the thousands of hours I’ve put into video games as ‘research’. I got into TV writing to justify all the TV I watch, so it’s been a great combo.”

Duran says he’s been writing for three years, however, the Amazon Studios $10,000 option is the first hard cash he’s seen for his efforts. Only time will tell if Gamers makes it past the initial script phase and onto our screens.

Gamers | Amazon Studios

Feature Image Credit – Thinkstock

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