Continuing the inexplicable trend of western games being adapted into anime (see also: Halo, Dante's Inferno), BioWare and anime publisher Funimation have announced a deal to produce an anime movie based on the Dragon Age franchise. Production started last month, with an intended 2011 direct-to-video release.

This will be the first release from Funimation's new Original Entertainment department, started to do exactly this kind of thing: develop new anime based on existing IP. We do wonder about the strict definition of the term "anime," though: if it's produced by an American publisher and based on an American (Canadian, actually) game, is it still anime? Luckily, this is one of those distinctions that doesn't matter at all. Regardless of the name, if you like Dragon Age, you'll soon get to watch a cartoon about it.