While Warner Bros. Discovery has faced a series of challenging financial setbacks following the underperformance of high-profile game releases, there’s a majorly successful franchise under its umbrella which remains a bastion of untapped potential. With the success of Hogwarts Legacy showing that single-player titles can thrive in the realm of fantasy, and the Lord of the Rings license behind games like Middle-earth: Shadow of War no longer in the hands of WBD, it’s clear that Game of Thrones remains an IP which could follow a similar path with its own adaptations.
It seems that a strategic pivot away from the live service approach which has seen the likes of MultiVersus and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League flopping despite massive budgets could be underway, with WBD now favoring its most profitable franchises in an effort to recoup. With series like House of the Dragon and the upcoming A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms continuing the legacy of Game of Thrones in front of huge audiences, there have been few greater times to lean into bringing Westeros into an interactive form.
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Games of Thrones Has a Plethora of Inspiration for an Action RPG
WBD’s previous landmark success with Shadow of Mordor and later Shadow of War serves as proof of the viability of adapting sprawling fantasy worlds into combat-heavy RPG experiences. The innovations of these games, including the potential scale of their battles and the iconic Middle-earth Nemesis system of personal grudges, could easily inspire mechanics that thrive within Game of Thrones‘ faction-driven conflicts. If an adaptation followed the similarly non-canon route that gave the Middle-earth games so much space to work with, stepping into the shoes of a knight or warrior during a traditional war or event as dramatic as the Long Night could be equally engaging.
It could easily be argued that ignoring all the political intrigue the series is known for in an action RPG wouldn’t effectively capture the spirit of the franchise, but militaristic factions like the Night’s Watch in Game of Thrones would be able to handle a more gameplay-centric title by definition. With iconic historical wars to draw from, like the glorious yet mysterious Robert’s Rebellion, even combat set pieces could serve intricate narrative roles if aligned with an overall theme.
Each of the Seven Kingdoms Could Make for Their Own Game
Most casual viewers are likely to be familiar with King’s Landing and the Wall, but the continent of Westeros is a setting so vast that it can’t be accurately represented in one game map alone. Unless it gets featured in an MMO, it would be more feasible to imagine a title set entirely within just one of the Seven Kingdoms in Games of Thrones. Numerous noble houses and their respective castles can be found in each of these distinct regions, and allowing players to explore the North or the Riverlands on foot would lead to the most detailed depictions of these places to date.
As large as Westeros already is, the lands of Essos across the Narrow Sea consist of vast, diverse environments and cultures. With settings like Yi Ti set to potentially be explored in the upcoming Game of Thrones spin-off The Golden Empire on the way from HBO, these more disconnected parts of the greater Planetos might allow for more impactful storytelling unbound by the trappings of existing characters. There’s even enough substantial material to lay the foundation for a pirate game set mostly on the waters, with prominent characters like HOTD’s Corlys Velaryon having earned their fortunes at sea.
The Flexible Role of a Hedge Knight
The Tales of Dunk and Egg series being adapted into the franchise’s next major show on HBO will also raise the profile of hedge knights like the protagonist Duncan the Tall, and the concept of essentially playing as a sellsword further leaves a possible game’s premise open-ended. In the same manner that mainline The Elder Scrolls games feature prison escapes as their beginnings to set up their blank slate protagonists, beginning a GoT game as a nameless aspiring knight would allow freedom in roleplaying. The only real weakness of this approach is that the irrelevance of being of such a low status might not allow for the deeper machinations of politics to match the vast depth of exploring the world.
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Genres Beyond RPGs Have Just as Much Source Material to Draw From
Story-Driven Political Thriller Tension is Core to Game of Thrones
Although the gallant and brutal exploits of warriors make Game of Thrones a natural fit for RPGs, the truer thematic depth at the franchise’s core makes it just as suitable for games centered mainly around narrative. When it comes to the nuanced scheming and decision-making which drives the shifting relationships of nobles in the courts of King’s Landing, Winterfell, or Meereen, participating in the most crucial events would be better suited for a dialogue-heavy title in the vein of Detroit: Become Human.
The Game of Thrones Telltale adaptation once attempted this approach, but its overreliance on recognizable characters held back what could have been a stronger original narrative. Depending on how Quantic Dream’s upcoming Star Wars Eclipse pans out, the concept of political simulators might turn out to be one of the most appropriate ways to handle the epic scale of certain universes.
Elevating the Likes of Crusader Kings 3’s Mod to a Full Title
The only other genre which can convey the scale of GoT‘s conflicts is probably strategy games, with fanmade projects like Crusader Kings 3‘s Game of Thrones-inspired mod already utilizing the vast timeline of the Seven Kingdoms for an immersive total conversion. There are few better ways to simulate managing resources and forging alliances during wartime, and hundreds of named characters with distinct backstories make choosing from opposing factions truly compelling. With even Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord‘s Realm of Thrones mod being popular while bridging tactics and action elements, a Game of Thrones adaptation has the chance to redefine strategic combat on a mainstream level.
Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones, based on the Song of Ice and Fire book series by George R.R. Martin, tells the sprawling story of warring families in Westeros. This includes the Starks, the Lannisters, the Baratheons, and the Targaryens. Along with human conflicts, Westeros is also threatened by the re-emergence of dragons, and an undead enemy from beyond the Wall.
- First TV Show
- Game Of Thrones
- First Episode Air Date
- April 17, 2011
- Where to watch
- HBO Max