Netflix Announces ’Exploding Kittens’ Mobile Game and Animated Series In First-Of-Its-Kind Deal, Based On The Popular Card Game

For the first time, Netflix 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 belovedmobile game, will launch on Netflix in May, followed by an adult animated comedy series coming in 2023, starring 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). 

In the animated series, titled Exploding Kittens,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. The series comes from showrunners Shane Kosakowski and Matthew Inman; executive producers Mike Judge, Greg Daniels and Dustin Davis of Bandera Entertainment; executive producers Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping for the Chernin Entertainment Group; and executive producers and creators of the Exploding Kittens franchise, Elan Lee and The Oatmeal’s Inman.

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.”

Additional details about the Exploding Kittens adult animated series will be announced at a later date. 

Headshots: Available for download here

• Tom Ellis (photo credit: Allegra Messina)

• Abraham Lim (photo credit: Chris Labadie) 

• Lucy Liu (photo credit: Sophy Holland) 

• Ally Maki

• Mark Proksch

• Sasheer Zamata  (photo credit: Kim Newmoney)

Exploding Kittens - The Game images for download here 

About Netflix

Netflix is the world’s leading streaming entertainment service with 222 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries, feature films and mobile games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.

 About Exploding Kittens 

Exploding Kittens is a leading game and entertainment company with a mission to inspire people to connect, laugh, and play fun games in the physical world. After initially seeking to raise $10K through Kickstarter, the Exploding Kittens campaign raised $8.7M in 30 days from 219,000 backers. To date, Exploding Kittens is the #1 most-backed project in Kickstarter history and has sold over 18 million games. Started by former Xbox game designer Elan Lee andThe Oatmeal’s founder Matthew Inman, Exploding Kittens and its family of games seek to reshape traditional game night into an entertaining person-to-person experience. Today, there are nearly 30 games available for purchase as well as an Exploding Kittens mobile app that is one of the top 30 premium games on both iOS,Android, and theNintendo Switch console, as well as a free-to-play app, Kitty Letter.

About Bandera Entertainment

Greg Daniels & Mike Judge’s partnership first began on the long-running, critically acclaimed animated show KING OF THE HILL. Following that success, they spent the next years working on projects independently, but their shared sensibilities and love of animation led to the foundation of Bandera Entertainment, where the goal is to curate a relevant, diverse slate of animated programming. With President Dustin Davis, who was most recently Head of Comedy at YouTube Originals and before that had stints at ABC and Spike TV, their aim is to expand the animation genre into as many modern types of storytelling as live action, guided by an excitement for artists and writers and ideas.  Bandera is currently in production on Netflix’s BAD CRIMES, a dark comedy procedural created by Nicole Silverberg with Nicole Byer and Lauren Lapkus voicing the leads, as well as Freeform’s PRAISE PETEY, created by Anna Drezen, with Annie Murphy, Kiersey Clemons, Stephen Root, Christine Baranski and John Cho lending their vocal talents.

ABOUT CHERNIN ENTERTAINMENT

Chernin Entertainment is a prominent film and television company that has produced a robust slate of over 40 critically acclaimed film and television projects over the past decade. The company’s upcoming television series include Chief of War starring Jason Momoa, the third seasons of See and Truth be Told on Apple TV+, as well as the second season of P-Valley on Starz. The company also recently produced the hit series Bombay Begums on Netflix. Chernin Entertainment’s upcoming film projects include Netflix’s SLUMBERLAND starring Jason Momoa and Kyle Chandler as well as HOURMAN, an adaptation of the popular DC comic, and LUTHER starring Idris Elba, Andy Serkis, and Cynthia Erivo. Chernin Entertainment is also the producer of 25 feature films including Netflix’s FEAR STREET film trilogy based on the iconic R.L. Stine books and directed by Leigh Janiak, the Oscar®-winning FORD VS. FERRARIstarring Matt Damon and Christian Bale and directed by James Mangold, the Oscar-nominated films HIDDEN FIGURESfrom director Ted Melfi and THE GREATEST SHOWMANstarring Hugh Jackman as well as the global blockbuster features RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES and WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES,which re-launched the franchise for a new generation and received an Oscar nomination.