This is a segment from The Drop newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe . The period drama television series Peaky Blinders has been licensed for a blockchain game, Banijay Entertainment and crypto startup Anonymous Labs announced on Thursday. The game will have an in-game cryptocurrency and a mix of “interactive experiences” and action sequences, according to a blog post . The game will be set in the post-World War I era in Birmingham, England, like the show. The show follows the gang known as the Peaky Blinders and stars Irish actor Cillian Murphy. It aired from 2013 until 2022 on BBC networks and is streamable on Netflix. While the game’s title and further details have not yet been revealed, the game is slated to launch in 2026. Anonymous Labs is trying to bring “Web2” IP into crypto. It previously launched a token for the animated character and comic book cat Simon’s Cat, but that token is down 89% from its all-time high four months ago. David Christopher, group director of licensing and merchandising at Banijay Rights, brokered the Peaky Blinders crypto game deal. Banijay Rights acquired Peaky Blinders’ production company, Caryn Mandabach Productions Limited, last year. Banijay previously struck Peaky Blinders deals with CMPL in 2022 before ultimately acquiring the company. This won’t be the first time the world of Peaky Blinders has appeared in a game, though. In 2023, narrative VR game Peaky Blinders: The King’s Ransom released to mixed reviews on Steam and didn’t grab much attention. Peaky Blinders: Mastermind is a puzzle game that was released in 2020 and got better reviews (and more of them), but it was ultimately discontinued on Steam in late 2022. More recently, Banijay facilitated a deal for Peaky Blinders with the (non-crypto) MMO World of Tanks. Themed characters and a special tank were available in-game as part of a unique battle pass season from March 20 until March 31 last month. There have been a handful of traditional media licensing plays in the crypto gaming space lately — though most have been with older IPs that are not as known among contemporary Western gaming audiences. SEGA has licensed Code of Joker and Sangokushi Taisen for different crypto games, and Ubisoft has built one based on its retro Might and Magic game franchise for Immutable. In years past, Hollywood studios like Warner Bros. have explored crypto plays, but none have made a major splash with audiences. Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters: Blockworks Daily : Unpacking crypto and the markets. Empire : Crypto news and analysis to start your day. Forward Guidance : The intersection of crypto, macro and policy. 0xResearch : Alpha directly in your inbox. Lightspeed : All things Solana. The Drop : Apps, games, memes and more. Supply Shock : Bitcoin, bitcoin, bitcoin.
