A Song of Ice and Fire Game In The Works

[Keane Ng]

A Song of Ice and Fire Game In The Works

George R.R. Martin's popular fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire is getting the videogame treatment courtesy of French developer Cyanide Studio.

George R.R. Martin's online text-based RPG [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_song_of_ice_and_fire]. Now series fans or, better yet, people intimidated by the idea of denser-than-Tolkien fantasy novels being adapted into text-based RPGs, can look forward to experiencing A Song of Ice and Fire in an arguably more accessible format: a videogame.

French studio Cyanide (developers of Blood Bowl [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Bowl_(2009_video_game)]) recently announced their partnership with Martin to create the games, which will appear on consoles and PC. The studio is working "in collaboration with George R.R. Martin," and says that "development has begun."

What exactly it has begun on remains a mystery, but anyone who's even read a few pages of these books should know that there's a lot of material to mine. Also, Cyanide says that the series' compelling themes and extensive cast of characters make it "an ideal background for numerous genres of video games," so who knows, we might be getting more than RPGs.

"We are all huge fans of A Song of Ice and Fire, so it is a true honor for our teams to be entrusted with creating the first video games inspired by this masterpiece," Patrick Pligersdorffer, managing director of Cyanide, said. "The twists and turns of the plot will allow us to deliver an experience which can be enjoyed by both long-time fans as well as gamers new to the series."


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[Virgil]

I'm hoping for a kart-racing game.

Also, I don't think that they'll be able to create a game that captures any significant part of the story. There's simply too much stuff.

 

[AbsoluteVirtue18]

Sounds wicked.

 

[Fbuh]

I read a short story from A Song of Ice and Fire, but ti just seemed like any other medieval style fantasy series. It didn't strike me as particularly good or bad.

 

[Lebeau's Bounty]

Can't wait. I just started reading 3 months ago and am on the third book in the series, A Storm of Swords. Fbuh, if you check out the reader reviews on Amazon you'll see why a lot of people like the series.

I like it because its told from the point of views of a variety of different characters scattered across the landscape of Westeros. Its got great story, and action. The violent parts are absolutely brutal at times. You never know which characters will live or die no matter how much you like them. And one of my favorite things about the first book, A Game of Thrones, is all throughout they talk about when there once was magic, once was dragons... and they reference undead creatures. But none of which you really see. You just hear that they used to exist, a hundred years ago. More and more you get excited about those elements coming in to the series... It's really exciting, and rewarding. But I won't reveal any more than that

Has the potential for a great game.

This comes along with the news that HBO hired a director for the pilot for the Game of Thrones series.

 

[Doc Theta Sigma]

Interesting idea, but all I can say is I don't think it can be done. There is way too much story and too many characters. It's not one of those books that can really be made into a game since most of it is dialogue instead of fighting. Good luck to them though. If they succeed and it's good, I will definitely buy it.

I read a short story from A Song of Ice and Fire, but ti just seemed like any other medieval style fantasy series. It didn't strike me as particularly good or bad.

ASOIAF is a book series that you actually have to read to understand how good it is. I'm assuming you read the short novella The Hedge Knight and it wasn't as good as the actual books. You wouldn't really understand it unless you'd read the series and knew who the characters were.

 

[SharedProphet]

I'm thinking it'll be a jousting game. Unless it's a new skin for Blood Bowl. Just kidding.

I read a short story from A Song of Ice and Fire, but ti just seemed like any other medieval style fantasy series. It didn't strike me as particularly good or bad.

ASOIAF is a book series that you actually have to read to understand how good it is. I'm assuming you read the short novella The Hedge Knight and it wasn't as good as the actual books. You wouldn't really understand it unless you'd read the series and knew who the characters were.

The first I read of the series was The Hedge Knight, and it really doesn't hold a candle to it (and isn't supposed to... it's supposed to be the story of a simple character set in the same world, and it is... but that makes it feel pretty different from the novels). I think I actually forgot the short story was in the same setting (and even written by GRRM) between reading it and picking up the actual books, and only figured it out later. Right now though I haven't read the fourth book and don't intend to until the sixth comes out, at which point I'll read it all again from the beginning.

 

[wrshamilton]

I'm a little wary of this post's enthusiasm for making games for people who can't be bothered to read.

 

[FloodOne]

this is going to be an awful videogame... to even stay remotely close to the source material's story, this game would have more cutscenes than MGS4.... yeah, chew on that for a second

 

[Arrakiv]

I'm skeptical to say the least. The series is fantastic, but it is also hugely complex with a vast number of characters and intertwined plots strewn about over the world. I guess they could focus on one aspect of the word... but I'm not really sure what it'd be.

 

[AhumbleKnight]

I love this series and can't wait until it is finished. But I am a bit sceptical about a game.
It is not like LOTR or many other books. There is so much happening at once it would be very difficult to make a game that encapsulated all of it.

One possibility could be the game being set before the series. If it was an RPG, which character would you play? Most of the main characters die.

 

[Lord_Jaroh]

Damn, I hope to god the game(s) don't suck. This is a setting I would love to play games in, but only if they do the series some justice.

 

[oliveira8]

I don't know if this is good or bad...

I'm going with bad so I don't get my hopes high...

 

[DrWilhelm]

I reckon a game set during the War of the Usurper could have potential as long as George R. R. Martin helped write the story. Otherwise I just can't see how they could possibly do the books any justice.

 

[quiet_samurai]

Meh.... I think he should get off his fat ass and finish the books first and foremost, i mean come on he's old and in danger of pulling a Chaucer.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

Meh.... I think he should get off his fat ass and finish the books first and foremost, i mean come on he's old and in danger of pulling a Chaucer.

Pulling a "Jordan" is probably a more apt and direct comparison. Don't tell me your comparing this to The Canterbury tales.

 

[quiet_samurai]

Meh.... I think he should get off his fat ass and finish the books first and foremost, i mean come on he's old and in danger of pulling a Chaucer.

Pulling a "Jordan" is probably a more apt and direct comparison. Don't tell me your comparing this to The Canterbury tales.

Chaucer is much more notorious for dying before his writing was completed then Jordan. He died what just last year? And no i'm not comparing stories, I'm comparing possible situations pertaing to an author.

 

[oliveira8]

Meh.... I think he should get off his fat ass and finish the books first and foremost, i mean come on he's old and in danger of pulling a Chaucer.

Pulling a "Jordan" is probably a more apt and direct comparison. Don't tell me your comparing this to The Canterbury tales.

Chaucer is much more notorious for dying before his writing was completed then Jordan. He died what just last year? And no i'm not comparing stories, I'm comparing possible situations pertaing to an author.

Well he died before releasing the last book!! The most important book in the whole series and he dies!

And now the guy replacing Jordan is going to divide the book into 3 parts...pfff...

 

[Milkman Dan]

No one will be able to complete this game; your character will die well before that.

 

[quiet_samurai]

Meh.... I think he should get off his fat ass and finish the books first and foremost, i mean come on he's old and in danger of pulling a Chaucer.

Pulling a "Jordan" is probably a more apt and direct comparison. Don't tell me your comparing this to The Canterbury tales.

Chaucer is much more notorious for dying before his writing was completed then Jordan. He died what just last year? And no i'm not comparing stories, I'm comparing possible situations pertaing to an author.

Well he died before releasing the last book!! The most important book in the whole series and he dies!

And now the guy replacing Jordan is going to divide the book into 3 parts...pfff...

Heh, yeah, as if the damn series didn't have enough installments already.