GAME OF THRONES
Why It Isn’t Working So Well
It’s not that Game of Thrones isn’t doing very well in the video games industry. It’s just that, as it stands right now, the series doesn’t amount to much. Sure, Game of Thrones is another license that Telltale have taken a swing at with their episodic adventure games format, and the first season was pretty good, but other than that, we haven’t seen much of Game of Thrones as a video game franchise. And that doesn’t make any sense. Take one good look at the rich lore and dense history in the Ice and Fire series, and it becomes obvious that this is a series that can span multiple genres and do it with great aplomb. The one genre where it can rank among the very best, though, is RPGs- that is, if it is handled by the right developer.
How It Could Be Better
WITH CD PROJEKT RED
What would one possibly expect from an RPG set in the world of Ice and Fire? You’d want it to be well written, tackling mature themes and dark tones. You’d want it to feature a caste of morally ambiguous but likeable characters. You’d want it to be bold and grim, but also have its own brand of dark, gritty humour. And if you’ve played The Witcher 3, you know that CD Projekt RED bring all of that to the table, and then some more. The Polish developers have proven themselves to be more than capable of making a game that is not afraid to be grim and tastefully mature, and The Witcher trilogy illustrates that they are also masters of world-building. A Game of Thrones RPG made in vein of The Witcher 3 is the stuff of dreams for so many fans of the series out there, and while there’s little chance of something like this happening anytime soon (or ever), we can always at least dream about it.
