Game of Thrones deserves to be a great video game like Elden Ring - Digital Trends

1 year ago 37

After the generational occurrence that Game of Thrones brought the overall HBO brand, the look of archetypal premium TV has begun a broader enlargement of the acheronian phantasy satellite of writer George R. R. Martin with House of the Dragon. The prequel has reinvigorated the strengths of the flagship show, with much projects underway — including the Jon Snow-led sequel series. But speech from much TV prequels and a sequel, arsenic ambitious arsenic that each sounds, the video crippled mean should beryllium thing other that’s astatine slightest connected HBO and Martin’s radar.

Given the tumultuous merger betwixt Warner Bros. and Discovery, it’s hard to accidental what the likes of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment volition look similar successful the adjacent oregon distant future, but the satellite of A Song of Ice and Fire is teeming with a mythology that would lend itself good to gaming. Whether it’s done the roleplaying oregon real-time strategy genres, determination are plentifulness of avenues developers tin instrumentality this IP.

The Elden Ring factor

Elden Ring inactive of the Tarnished warring the dragon Agheel connected horseback.

Before delving into the satellite of Ice and Fire, it’s worthy noting that imaginable maturation successful the video crippled abstraction wouldn’t beryllium George R. R. Martin’s archetypal foray into the medium.

Game manager Hidetaka Miyazaki and the remainder of the squad astatine FromSoftware teamed up with Martin to laic the groundwork for the beingness of Elden Ring. For those astatine each invested successful gaming, it’s astir intolerable not to person heard astir the open-world enactment RPG’s emphatic captious acclaim.

It was steadfast Bandai Namco and developer workplace FromSoftware’s astir palmy crippled some critically and commercially. And portion Martin’s originative contributions to the crippled were constricted to the aboriginal world-building and lore, that’s each that would beryllium needed of him successful a hypothetical video crippled adaptation — oregon adaptations — of his ain phantasy universe.

FromSoftware’s pioneering titles similar Demon’s Souls, the Dark Soulstrilogy, Bloodborne, and now Elden Ring are fantabulous showcases for the benignant of enactment that tin beryllium done with the dense lore and mythos of Game of Thrones. Aside from the information that gaming creatives similar Miyazaki mesh seamlessly with Martin’s marque of fantasy, the author’s acquisition with Elden Ring could beryllium invaluable should helium and different applicable HBO/Warner executives measurement their options for imaginable ventures successful this arena.

Bringing unseen lands and stories to life

King Viserys and Alicent sitting adjacent to his exemplary of the Valyrian Freehold.

For arsenic agelong arsenic Game of Thrones was portion of millions of audiences’ lives — and arsenic agelong as House of the Dragon seems poised to beryllium — not astir arsenic overmuch of Martin’s satellite has been brought to beingness erstwhile taking the scope of the books into account.

That’s not inherently a responsibility connected the TV shows, considering phantasy franchises people person continuities grander than what could ever beryllium adapted to screen. However, video games person the imaginable to soma retired the beingness without spreading the TV mean excessively thin.

There person been galore places that were some described astatine magnitude and lone tantalizingly referenced successful Martin’s novels and lore compendiums, and the hardware horsepower of the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and modern PCs could assistance developers flex the originative muscles that a TV accumulation mightiness not allow. Whether it’s due to the fact that of budgetary, logistical, oregon originative reasons, the much grandiose and fantastical locales of A Song of Ice and Fire might adjacent construe amended successful a game.

Daenerys' dragons Rhaegal and Drogon successful Game of Thrones play 8.

One illustration of specified a mounting is indirectly applicable to the ongoing deed prequel series, arsenic the opulence of Old Valyria and the Valyrian Freehold person lone been told to fans by the likes of King Viserys I Targaryen arsenic thrilling bedtime stories, without immoderate ocular accompaniment.

Old Valyria successful wide is simply a spot spoken of successful astir mystical reverence, and since it doesn’t look similar (at slightest currently) Aegon I Targaryen’s conquest of Westeros volition beryllium adapted into live-action oregon different anytime soon, it seems adjacent little truthful that we’ll spot the Freehold astatine the tallness of its power. That makes video games an breathtaking alternate with their ain large possibilities to seizure the ocular splendor of that clip and place.

Seeing a clip erstwhile the Targaryens were conscionable 1 of galore Dragonlord families could beryllium compelling to escapade through, but what the mean allows could bring experiences extracurricular of the bequest location and their mascots. Essos has a wealthiness of unseen opportunities to fto would-be players explore, similar the ominous Shadow Lands of Asshai and the supernatural and occult practices prevalent there.

More than anything, gaming would let the astir fantastical elements of Martin’s satellite to yet instrumentality halfway stage.

Virtually endless possibilities

Split representation of Dark Souls, The Witcher 3, and Skyrim promo art.

Aside from the content, the adjacent astir important origin successful bringing Martin’s phantasy beingness to a fresher mean is what its assorted genres tin provide. Fantasy, by nature, is an incredibly versatile genre careless of the mean it is featured on.

The archetypal no-brainer would beryllium the RPG, arsenic clip and clip again it’s paved the mode for immoderate of the champion phantasy games. FromSoftware’s aforementioned dark-fantasy RPGs are conscionable a few, but CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher games (which are adaptations of Andrzej Sapkowski’s books), Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls, and others person besides proven to beryllium fantabulous showcases for the genre’s extent successful gaming.

Part of that could beryllium credited to the occurrence of tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons back successful the 1970s and ’80s, which pioneered however engrossing subordinate prime is successful an interactive phantasy experience. An open-world RPG acceptable successful the Valyrian Freehold — oregon astatine slightest a portion of it — is an enticing thought, particularly erstwhile taking into relationship the prominence of dragons and House Targaryen, arsenic good arsenic House Velaryon. The hypothetical tie-in selling with House of the Dragon almost speaks for itself.

Outside of that country of the world, past ideas that didn’t cookware retired successful the TV format could besides spot a revival here, including the canceled Bloodmoon prequel bid that was acceptable to prima Naomi Watts successful a starring relation and would person chronicled the events of the archetypal Long Night.

Likewise, real-time strategy games would beryllium different earthy acceptable for this world. For reference, Shiro Games’ upcoming Dune: Spice Wars or the classical Warcraft games could beryllium looked astatine arsenic a template. There’s much than capable warfare to spell astir successful Westeros’ past and beyond, and a strategy crippled could warrant playing successful oregon retired of continuity to make a worthwhile premise. Perhaps players could play retired the celebrated War of the Five Kings from Game of Thrones their ain way.

Graphic escapade is simply a genre that 1 of the franchise’s fewer gaming exploits has dabbled in, and portion Telltale Games’ episodic crippled didn’t gain a peculiarly large reception, it had a coagulated instauration for however specified a crippled would enactment mechanically. One of the biggest appeals of these shows and the root worldly is the acheronian governmental machinations and quality play successful the narratives, truthful it’s casual to spot however a graphic escapade crippled could simulate a akin interactive, “choose-your-own-adventure” acquisition to the TV shows.

Wherever the executives astatine the apical steer the IP going forward, it should beryllium wide capable that video games arsenic a level person much than capable imaginable to warrant adapting this affluent beingness elsewhere connected the tiny screen.

The archetypal play of House of the Dragon is presently streaming connected HBO and HBO Max, with the entirety of Game of Thrones available connected some platforms.