With fantasy elements to weave in, like adventures beyond The Wall, the first game in the series should put the focus on those elements that made the series popular to begin with. The mechanics could incorporate the wide skill sets seen in the franchise, taking inspiration from the stealth of the Faceless Men, the fighting abilities of the great Knights of olde, and the horseriding talent of the Dothraki. And naturally, there have to be dragons.
House Of The Dragon May Prompt New Developments
House of the Dragon has ultimately served as a cruel reminder that there currently aren’t any proper Game of Thrones titles on the market that can fully immerse players in the famous fictional backdrop. So while there’s all the potential in the world for such a title to be a success, and the hope that future developments may lead to new breakthroughs in HBO’s plans, right now, fans are left to find similar games that convey some of the same themes as George R.R. Martin’s most well-known saga.
With a mobile MMORPG named Game of Thrones in the works over at Netmarble, and Zynga producing Game of Thrones: Legends a puzzle-driven RPG, the wait for a current generation, AAA, action-adventure title set in Westeros might go on a little longer. Players came close when studios Bigpoint and Artplant were commissioned to bring an MMORPG to life, but Game of Thrones: Seven Kingdoms was canceled before it really got going and was instead transformed into Game of Thrones: Winter Is Coming, leading to another missed opportunity.
House of the Dragon serves as a reminder that things can change. It’s a signpost for the resiliency of a franchise that just keeps coming back. Considering how the initial run of Game of Thrones ended, you’d be forgiven for thinking that House of the Dragon would have been a flop; a spinoff driven by HBO’s need for franchise longevity met with apathy for a conclusion turned sour. Yet, Westeros is as popular as ever, with quality decision-making leading audiences back to the world they loved so much. If the live-action interpretation of the Song of Ice and Fire brand can overcome such adversity and somehow come out stronger, then why can’t the video game division do the same?
Ultimately, HBO and Warner Bros. need to look into this question of video game development and take inspiration from those other high-fantasy stories that have cornered the market already. For their own interests, there’s surely financial security in that mission. But for fans who want to create a character, fight for the throne, entrench themselves in a faction, and survive the beasts beyond the wall, there’s a greater incentive to encourage studios to really push for the rights to this fantasy franchise that holds so much promise.