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Prime Video's Secret Level creator Tim Miller got game developers to declare the do's and don't's of iconic characters like Pac Man, Mega Man, and more
No ultraviolence for Mega Man, but it’s a-ok to screw with Pac-Man, the producers of Prime Video's Secret Level were told by game developers
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When you’re handling beloved properties of video games, you have to have respect... and the permission of those who own the video game properties in question, as well. At New York Comic Con 2024, Secret Level creator Tim Miller and supervising director Dave Wilson mentioned that they got creative guides of do's-and-don’t's when adapting video games into the 15 anthology shorts that make up the upcoming Prime Video animated series.
At a press event after the panel, I couldn't resist asking just what “Dont’s” Miller and Wilson ran into. “Sex” and “nudity” were common ones in the guides, leading another reporter to express disappointment that he would not see Mega Man’s cheeks.
Each property named their own thresholds – “tenants of the franchise” in Miller’s words – on how far Secret Level was allowed to push the envelope. Sometimes the team had the license to test extreme liberties, such as Bandai giving them permission to fuck up Pac-Man into a Memento-inspired trip.
Not everyone was so willing to experiment, however; at the NYCC 2024 panel, an ardent Mega Man player had the chance to ask his burning question at the Q&A mic: “How lenient was Capcom helping you make this episode? Like, are we going to see Mega Man rip off Fire Man’s head in a big, bloody mess?” he asked.
“Like you want to see that!” Wilson retorted, before adding, “I’m sorry to say, no ultraviolence in Mega Man," before adding, "But we’re getting there.”
Secret Level debuts on Prime Video December 10.
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