High-powered, high fantasy RPG Exalted will receive a live action television adaptation

A live action television series based on the anime and mythology-inspired tabletop RPG Exalted has been announced. The adaptation will be handled by the UK-based Jenkins and Tate Entertainment in conjunction with Paradox Interactive.

Simply titled Exalted, the series was revealed on August 30th in a press release from Jenkins and Tate and simply said that the title is currently - or will soon enter - development. The team will work “alongside” Paradox Interactive - primarily a publisher of video games such as the Crusader Kings series and Stellaris but who also owns Exalted.

“We’re excited to be working closely with Paradox Interactive to bring this property to life,” said Steve Smith, Jenkins and Tate’s chief operating officer. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring Exalted to life through a TV series that will enthral the vast existing fan base around the world and introduce this magical, exhilarating world to an even wider audience through what will be a high-end, must-see production.”

Exalted’s first edition released in 2001, a creation on White Wolf Publishing that experimented with the Storyteller System powering the World of Darkness catalogue of RPGs. It combined influences from epic poems, pantheon-driven mythology with the heightened drama and action focus of anime to provide a synthesis of rules-heavy combat with character-focused storytelling.

Players embody Exalts, humans who have transcended mortality and gained some wicked powers in the process. These vessels of otherworldly power come in a variety of themes and backgrounds, providing a broad spectrum of mechanical and flavour options for group composition.

Development on Exalted switched to Onyx Path Publishing in 2012 when it licensed the RPG from White Wolf Publishing alongside the World of Darkness titles and other games. Paradox Interactive then purchased White Wolf in 2015 and all games and properties under its control at the time. Onyx Path published the current third edition of Exalted in 2016 and have continued designing sourcebooks and supplements since.

The plot of the television show will take place 800 years after the fall of the Solar Exalted - considered the default protagonists of the RPG’s setting - which left the world without a saviour during a time of political upheaval. In true Campbellian fashion, a new Solar Exalted is apparently living “in a distant village” east of all this conflict, and their exploits will probably shape the future of all creation, or something in that vein.

“Exalted is a role-playing game that has a world rich with exciting history and adventure. We fully expect the TV series to capture the heart and essence of the game and introduce it, in all its glory, to a huge global audience across the world,” said Mark Foligno, Jenkins and Tate’s , director of physical production.

2021 has shaped up as a big year for the tabletop-to-televisionn pipeline. It was announced earlier this year that Vampire: The Masquerade and other World of Darkness RPGs would enjoy a film annd television franchise, and designer John Harper revealed a Blades in the Dark television series. No release date or cast information was provided as part of Exalted’s television adaptation announcement.