GOLDEN AXE Creators Talk Turning the Classic Arcade Game Into an Animated Series

For a certain generation of gamers, Golden Axe brings back memories of crowded arcades, frantic button-mashing, weird creatures you could ride into battle, and the horrible realization that you were out of quarters.

Now, SEGA’s 1989 swords-and-sorcery classic is getting a new life as an animated series on Paramount+, and the people making it are exactly the kind of fans you’d want taking a swing at it.

Golden Axe comes from co-creators Mike McMahan, known for Solar Opposites and Rick and Morty, and Joe Chandler of American Dad!. Both have plenty of history with the game, and McMahan’s love for it goes all the way back to one very cool playable dwarf.

Speaking with Animation Magazine, McMahan explained: “I had played it a billion times, because I loved that it let me pick the battle dwarf as a lead character.

“It’s so unexpected and cool, plus it had rideable freaky beasts that stick in your brain. Getting to adapt a swords-and-sorcery fantasy world was a draw too, because I had been mostly playing with sci-fi!”

Chandler had a pretty great explanation for how he ended up joining McMahan on the series, saying: “When Mike got the opportunity to make Golden Axe, he knew he needed the perfect partner — the Tyris to his Ax Battler …

“Unfortunately, that person wasn’t available. When he finally realized he had no other choice, he called me. I leapt at the opportunity!”

Chandler’s connection to Golden Axe is just as personal. It was the first game he owned for the Sega Genesis, and apparently he found the classic childhood workaround for games without convenient save systems: leave the console running and hope Mom doesn’t notice.

He recalled: “Golden Axe was the first game I owned for Sega Genesis. I loved everything about it: kicking little blue guys for magic, tail whipping bad guys while riding a weird purple monster and rescuing the citizens of a village on the back of a giant eagle!

“I had my Genesis hooked up to a little TV in my room. When my mom made me go to bed, I’d leave it paused so I wouldn’t have to start over in the morning. I’m still stunned this came full circle and we got to make this show.”

While McMahan and Chandler are bringing their comedy backgrounds to the adaptation, fans shouldn’t expect Golden Axe to become a spoof of the game. McMahan says the goal is to preserve the adventure and stakes while giving the heroes more personality and room for humor.

“We aren’t making fun of Golden Axe,” he stated. “We’re adapting it into a version that keeps the stakes and the details but also builds out the characters and gives them a sense of humor.

“I really like the format of the show, that you can watch any one episode and have a good time, but if you watch the whole thing, then it all ties together as one big adventure.”

The original game already had a wonderfully strange fantasy world packed with warriors, monsters, magic, skeletons, dragons, and Death Adder, so there’s plenty here to build on.

The animated series reunites legendary warriors Ax Battler, Tyris Flare, and Gilius Thunderhead as they embark on a mission to save Yuria. Death Adder, who just won’t seem to stay dead, and the trio must figure out how to finally put the evil giant down for good.

Their adventure gets a little more complicated thanks to Hampton Squib, a rookie adventurer who desperately wants to be a hero despite being wildly unprepared for the job. He’s forced to join the veteran warriors as they battle their way toward Death Adder.

The voice cast includes Matthew Rhys (Widow’s Bay) as Gilius Thunderhead, Liam McIntyre (Spartacus, Marvel’s Wolverine) as Ax Battler, Lisa Gilroy (Jury Duty) as Tyris Flare, and Danny Pudi as Hampton Squib.

McMahan and Chandler clearly have affection for the ridiculous, awesome fantasy weirdness that made Golden Axe memorable in the first place.

If the series can capture the fun of smashing through Death Adder’s army while expanding these characters into heroes worth following for an entire season, this could be a ton of fun to watch!

Golden Axe premieres September 16 exclusively on Paramount+.