Netflix Turns Hit Board Game Into Its Next Must-Watch Series

Netflix just planted its flag on Catan. The streamer has locked down the rights to turn the iconic board game into a TV series and, because nothing is ever just one thing anymore, a whole slate of other projects too.

What we know so far

• Netflix has acquired rights to develop Catan across multiple formats. The plan includes live-action series, unscripted projects, and animation — and Netflix is also talking up features and games as part of the wider push.
• No creative team or showrunner has been announced yet.
• Per THR, the series is set in a land of varied, resource-rich terrains where settlers juggle shifting alliances and limited supplies while robbers roam the map. If you have ever had your perfect wheat hex blocked, you get the vibe.
• This is not the first try at an adaptation: producer Gail Katz and Sony Pictures were developing a Catan movie back in 2017 before it stalled.
• The game launched in 1995 in Germany as The Settlers of Catan, created by Klaus Teuber, and has since sold over 45 million copies worldwide and been translated into more than 40 languages.

'Anyone who has played Catan knows that the intense strategy at the core of the game has endless opportunities for some serious drama,' Netflix executive Jinny Howe said. 'We’re thrilled to partner across series, features, animation, and games to bring this world to life for hardcore Settlers and new fans alike.'

The Teuber family is into it. Klaus Teuber’s sons, Benjamin and Guido, framed this as the next chapter of what their father imagined 30 years ago — a world where people connect by trading, building, and settling together at the table and beyond. They want the adaptation to keep that mix of creativity, strategy, and human connection intact.

Asmodee — the company behind Catan — is equally enthusiastic. CEO Thomas Koegler called the game a gateway to modern board gaming and sees this as a chance to introduce its world to a bigger audience, while also making the case that board games are firmly part of mainstream pop culture. He also noted that Asmodee’s partnership with Netflix continues here.

So what does this actually look like on screen? The premise pretty much writes itself: resource scarcity, uneasy alliances, and opportunists (hello, robber) turning friends into frenemies. If Netflix leans into the social strategy and paranoia that fuel a good Catan night, there’s real TV juice here. And given the mention of games, do not be shocked if something Catan-adjacent pops up in the Netflix Games app down the road.

For now, we wait on creative hires and a timeline. Consider this the first settlement. The cities, ports, and inevitable sheep arguments come later.