Development for a TV show based on blockchain game Space Nation Online is underway, executive produced by Roland Emmerich, the director of “Independence Day” and “The Day After Tomorrow.” The show is expected to amp up the drama and stakes around the sci-fi IP while potentially expanding the reach of the connected game.

Emmerich and fellow executive producer Marco Weber revealed details about the “Space Nation” show in an exclusive interview with Decrypt, with the series currently estimated to launch sometime in early 2027.

The eight-episode series will be a prequel to Space Nation Online, the crypto-fueled massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that recently soft-launched on Ethereum layer-2 network, Immutable zkEVM.

In the game, you’re tasked with restarting civilization in a distant galaxy after aliens have destroyed the solar system. But as Emmerich explained, the TV show will spotlight a different part of the overall franchise narrative.

“It tells the story of a girl who wants to actually stay on Earth and defend Earth from these invaders. Now, the invaders—you don't know much about them; you only know they're coming,” Emmerich told Decrypt’s GG, further detailing plans for the story at hand. Ultimately, the enemy threat proves to be enormous.

"When they come, they’re a much bigger force than you ever can imagine," he added in the video interview above.

Emmerich is a well-known movie director touted as the “master of disaster,” with a filmography including “Stargate,” “2012,” and the previously mentioned blockbusters. Alongside Weber, the producer of “Igby Goes Down,” the pair will spearhead the upcoming live-action “Space Nation” show.

“It’s a little bit of a Noah’s Ark concept with a ticking clock,” Weber told Decrypt. “They know there is an attack coming from the aliens, and when they need to basically decide to stay on Earth and defend or all board Noah’s Ark. That’s the conflict.”

It’s not as simple as that, of course, as only those with money and power are truly able to take flight to safety. As a result, much of humanity is forced to stick around.

The show is planned to finish “pretty much” where the MMORPG picks up: in space after the destruction of Earth. Despite this, Emmerich would consider doing multiple seasons if the show is successful, and is pondering the idea of finishing on a cliffhanger so the second season can remain a prequel to the game.

Development has only recently started. The concept of the show has been solidified, and now the pair is looking to hire writers to start scripting the episodes. In a year, the “Space Nation” team hopes to have a few screenplays written before production can start ramping up, with another year expected to bring their vision to the screen.

From game to TV

Emmerich and Weber joined the project over two years ago, and were described as co-founders behind the broader Space Nation IP—but they haven't started development for the show until now. This is because they wanted to ensure that the flagship MMORPG title, built on Ethereum tech, launched without any major hitches.

Space Nation Online rolled out in September in a “soft-launched” format, with the goal of pushing the game in front of more eyes near the end of the year amid steady fixes and upgrades. Although Emmerich said he hasn’t yet played the game, the status of the launch convinced the Hollywood veterans that they could safely go ahead with the show.

While this is Emmerich’s first public foray into the world of blockchain, via the connection to the game, it’s not his first private interaction with crypto. In fact, he’s already got the lingo down.

“I kind of own a lot of Bitcoin. I watch it grow, I'm more the ‘HODL’ guy,” Emmerich told Decrypt, referencing the crypto-native acronym for “hold on for dear life,” aka weathering the immense volatility of crypto investing. "I never get nervous when it crashes, at the same point, because I know this is a long-term thing."

He explained that as part of the deal for Space Nation, he will receive a portion of the project’s soon-to-launch OIK token.

“As founders, and all the team members, we've given ourselves very long and conservative cliffs,” Weber added. “So there's no pump-and-dump scheme.”

On November 10, Space Nation will release an NFT collection featuring one of the ships from the game, which was designed by Emmerich. This aims to test the waters on whether the audience is interested in such digital collectibles, as there’s no utility planned for the asset. If it’s a success, however, Space Nation is planning for multiple annual drops in the future.

They aren’t the first Hollywood natives to dip a toe into the crypto industry, but as Weber told Decrypt, they’ve put in ample time to really dig into the prospective benefits of blockchain and decentralized economies. That’s exactly why they see such potential in the space.

“Over the last three years, we have paid our dues to understand the gaming business, to understand Web3, to understand token economy, and crypto,” said Weber. “I think everybody who invests the time and who really is serious about embracing it might find a way to use it.”

Edited by Andrew Hayward