Tom Ellis and Lucy Liu to Star in Exploding Kittens Animated Series at Netflix

Netflix is doubling down on video games.

For the first time, the streaming service will launch a mobile game and TV series from the same franchise, building on the popular Exploding Kittens card game.

Exploding Kittens – The Game, an exclusive version of the beloved mobile game, will launch on Netflix in May, followed by an adult animated comedy series coming in 2023.

The series will star Tom Ellis (Rush, Lucifer), Abraham Lim (Clickbait, The Boys), Lucy Liu (Shazam, Elementary), Ally Maki (Wrecked, Toy Story 4), Mark Proksch (What We Do In The Shadows, Better Call Saul) and Sasheer Zamata (Woke, Home Economics).

“The eternal conflict between Heaven and Hell reaches epic proportions when both God and the Devil are sent to Earth – in the bodies of chunky house cats,” reads the logline for the the series.

The series comes from showrunners Shane Kosakowski and Matthew Inman, executive producers Mike Judge, Greg Daniels and Dustin Davis of Bandera Entertainment.

Exploding Kittens – The Game retains the same classic gameplay where players draw cards aiming to avoid the Exploding Kitten.

Plus, fans will enjoy two new exclusive cards: Radar, which reveals to players the position of the Exploding Kitten closest to the top of the card deck, and Flip Flop, which reverses the order of the cards in the deck.

Future cards and game mechanics will be themed around the animated series so friends and families can play with their favorite characters and bring the show to life.

With both single and multiplayer options, the game will be available to Netflix members without additional fees or in-app purchases.

“The co-development of a game and animated series breaks new ground for Netflix,” said Mike Moon, Netflix Head of Adult Animation.

“And we couldn’t think of a better game to build a universe around than Exploding Kittens, one of the most inventive, iconic and original games of this century! Netflix is the perfect place to explore this growing franchise and we are so fortunate to be working with this incredible team!”

“Our goal is to offer our members great entertainment they’ll love in whatever format they may enjoy – whether it be a game or an animated series,” said Leanne Loombe, Head of External Games, Netflix.

“As we expand our mobile games catalog, we’re excited to partner with the Exploding Kittens digital team to bring this enjoyable game to all age groups, including a few exciting updates exclusively for our members.”

“Netflix is the only service that could bring Exploding Kittens to life in both a series and a game,” said Matthew Inman, Exploding Kittens Chief Creative Officer and creator of The Oatmeal.

“We actually launched Exploding Kittens on Kickstarter as a weekend project, but our community has been the heart and soul of the company over the past six years.”

“The new series and game will give our fans new ways to connect and interact with the franchise.”