Bengaluru: Harlequin and Dashverse have announced a strategic multi-year partnership to co-produce a slate of 40 animated microdramas based on Harlequin Romance titles, marking a significant move into the fast-growing mobile-first content ecosystem.
The collaboration will debut in April with its first adaptation, A Fairy-Tail Ending by Catherine Mann, bringing iconic romance storytelling into a new, bite-sized video format designed for on-the-go consumption.
The microdramas will be created using Dashverse’s proprietary production system, Frameo, which enables scalable creation of high-quality serialized video. Developed by a team of illustrators supported by AI-driven workflows, the content aims to retain the emotional depth and narrative richness of Harlequin novels while adapting them into concise, mobile-friendly episodes.
The series will be distributed globally in English across leading microdrama platforms, including DashReels, targeting a rapidly expanding audience for short-form serialized content.
“Harlequin romance stories have a long-standing legacy of resonating with readers through their universal themes of love and connection,” said Brent Lewis, EVP and Publisher, Harlequin. “This partnership with Dashverse represents an exciting opportunity to reimagine these cherished stories for a new audience, leveraging cutting-edge technology to bring them to life in an innovative and engaging medium.”
“Some of the most powerful stories in the world already exist, they just need to be experienced in new ways,” said Sanidhya Narain, CEO and Co-Founder of Dashverse. “With Harlequin, we’re unlocking a vast library of beloved stories and reimagining them for a format that is visual, immediate, and built for today’s generation. This is a step toward building global entertainment franchises from existing IP, powered by AI.”
The partnership comes amid a surge in demand for short-form, mobile-first storytelling formats, positioning both companies to capitalize on the evolving global content consumption landscape.
Further adaptations are scheduled for release in May, including Forbidden Fiji Nights with Her Rival by JC Harroway, Newlywed Enemies by Jackie Ashenden, The King’s Pregnancy Proposition by LaQuette, and Mistletoe Baby Mix-Up by JC Harroway.
