DOTA 2 Netflix Anime Launch Date Announced

DOTA has really come a long way. It started out as a third-party mod for WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne, the popular Defense of the Ancients caught the interest of Valve. No longer tied to Blizzard's property and no longer an acronym, Valve was free to take DOTA 2 places where its predecessor couldn't even dare. That apparently includes an animated series that will be premiering on Netflix next month, an honor the very few games, even bigger ones than DOTA 2, could boast of.

DOTA and DOTA 2 can perhaps be credited for creating the popular Multiplayer Online Battle Arena or MOBA, a genre that gripped the market for years until it was eventually overshadowed by Battle Royale games like Fortnite. Despite that, MOBAs remain a lucrative market and, save for the likes of League of Legends, few have risen to the same prestige as Dota.

Like any other popular game, there are attempts to expand the franchise beyond games and related merchandise. A full CG movie is probably impractical at this point and fans will have to settle for whatever Netflix and Studio MIR, credited for The Legend of Korra and Netflix's Voltron, have cooked up.

DOTA: Dragon's Blood centers around Davion, the Dragon Knight, one of the game's many heroes. The short Netflix blurb also namedrops Mirana, the Princess of the Moon, another playable hero from the game. Other than that, however, the announcement and the trailer below offer little insight into the animated series.

The existence of the anime series comes as a complete surprise, though not exactly uncharacteristic of Netflix's other surprise game adaptations. Given how those fared, DOTA 2 fans might feel cautiously excited about this upcoming series. DOTA: Dragon's Blood premieres on Netflix on March 25.