Fans of “Narcos,” the Netflix drama about the hunt for Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, will soon be able to build their own international crime syndicates in a new game based on the show.
Gaumont Television, which produces “Narcos” for Netflix, teamed up with game publisher FTX Games for “Narcos: Cartel Wars,” a mobile game set to launch in September. The game will be free to play, offering in-app purchases.
The app’s release is timed with the season 2 debut of the critically acclaimed show, starring Wagner Moura as Escobar, which is set to bow Sept. 2 on Netflix. The second 10-episode season covers the following 18 months of the drug cartel’s rise and fall from power, based on law enforcement efforts to bring Escobar and his crew to justice in the late ’80s. “Narcos” also stars Boyd Holbrook and Pedro Pascal as real-life DEA agents Steve Murphy and Javier Peña.
“Narcos: Cartel Wars” places players as an up-and-coming cartel lieutenant, with guidance provided by characters from the show. As users build their organizations, they will have to decide between exhibiting raw power, gathering respect through loyalty, or a combination of both. Players must form alliances with each other in order to create cartels and go to war for territory, profit and respect.
“’Narcos’ is about a lot more than violence, money and power,” said Aaron Berndtson, FTX Games’ head of business development. “We really wanted to explore the moral ambiguity from the show, where right and wrong are subjective. We’re very excited to put these choices into the player’s hands.”
Earlier this year, Netflix cut a deal with Univision Communications, under which the Hispanic media company will air the first season of “Narcos” on the flagship Univision network ahead of the season 2 debut.
More info on the “Narcos: Cartel Wars” is available at NarcosGame.com.