5 GAMES THAT NEED TO BE MADE - GAME OF THRONES

(This new article series “Games that need to be made” is where I pitch 5 games that need to be made in a particular franchise, company, genre etc... If you enjoy and want more of these lists let me know in the comments on social media! Tell us which of these 5 was your favorite, and what franchise or theme you want to see next!)

I absolutely love Game of Thrones. It has some absolutely fantasies characters, incredible world building, and just incredible degree of quality and polish. Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, and Daenerys Targaryen are some of my absolute favorite characters in fiction. The dialogue, the combat, the lord; so much of this universe is phenomenal. I loved 97% of the show and like many of you HATED the ending. We aren’t here to discuss how it has one of the worst, nonsensical, poorly made endings in fiction; we are here to talk about this amazing universe and how somehow it has been completely and horrendously overlooked by gaming.

Did you know they made a freaking text adventure game for GoT… On MOBILE? How one of the most financially successful and widely popular television phenomenons only ever seems to get cheap low level mobile games is BEYOND ME. While certainly there have been some attempts at console level games, this is a universe ripe for more full AAA experiences, and I am here to pitch 5 Games set in the GOT universe, what they entail, and who should make them.

We have a special thanks to cosplayer @yunakairi.cosplay who has lent us their Dani cosplay to help bring some of this article to life! Support their amazing cosplay!

5. GOT: The First Men

Developer: Bethesda

Every universe needs it’s “Old Republic”; that far distant past of a universe. It would be fascinating to see the world of Game of Thrones 1000's of years prior during the times of the “first men”. I was sad when a show set during this time was considered but cancelled by HBO. I think this timeframe needs to be explored and it could be in a game. GOT: The First Men is an open world first person fantasy RPG with survival and mystical elements. We get to see a much more primitive time for the GOT universe. In this world, the dragons and other fantasical creatures are more common. In this time, perhaps we see more fantasy beings such as the old and new gods, or even a back story to the Lord of Light. Being so far in the past we could get a less "ancient look” at the mythology. Perhaps these beings could be actual characters instead of vague references.

4. THE IRON THRONE

Platform: PC

Imagine a turn based 4x game, a “civilization” style game but instead of playing as countries of our world, you play as houses of Westeros. You control castles, armies, and fleets in a bid for world domination. Will dragon lead armies of the Targaryn’s rule? Will the vast and wealthy military of the Lannister’s? Honestly, for such a geopolitically built universe, the idea of a game of thrones skinned version of a civilization game is incredibly obvious to me. I want to control the armies of Westeros and see if I can win the Iron Throne!

3. GOT: Nights Watch

Developer: Saber Interactive

Game of Thrones: Night’s Watch is a Third Person “cover brawler” with a focus on melee or bow and arrow combat. You play as a member of the Nights Watch as you defend the realms of men. It is essentially a tower defense coop hoard mode zombie game. You and three other players, along with the rest of Night’s Watch, are stationed at a section of the Wall. You face an assault of white walkers that you must defend against.

I pocked a more obscure developer for this because they really surprised me with World War Z. I absolutely loved that game, and how they delivered a co-op zombie game. I want to see another game from them, this time with the Game of Thrones universe with melee and magic instead of guns.

2. Rein of Daenerys Targaryen (GOT Cinematic Game)

Developer: Quantic Dream

If you’ve never played Detroit Become Human, Beyond Two Souls, or Heavy Rain, you are missing out on an absolutely phenomenal and unique experience in your gaming. I’ve played thousands of games from all types of developers and none play quite like those from Quantic Dream. While other games exist in the Hyperrealism Cinematic Narrative sub-genre, none pull it off as perfectly as Quantic.

They have an ability to make hyper-realistic graphics, that blow away even that of The Last of Us, and deliver amazing narrative with some of the best branching path stories. There have been times I have played a Quantic game, paused, waiting for a “cut scene” to end, only to realize it did a long time ago. Their gameplay just looks that good. There have been times I have stopped and just stared at a plate of food in awe at the photorealistic detail of a minor item in the game world.

Quantic is a developer I would love tell a story set in the Game of Thrones universe. Because GOT is so heavily dependent on narrative, I would love to get a narrative driven game. I also think Quantic could deliver the best looking GOT game on this list, if not one of the best looking games to date.

I don’t even care much what they do; I just want them to do something. However, if I were to make an actual pitch, I would center the story on Daenerys Targaryen. It could tell an alternate version of events, with player choice in the mix. I think it would be just fascinating to see Dani brought to life with the unbelievable mocap technology that Quantic uses. Perhaps we could have an alternate "Good path" for Dany, or even see her being over her Empire post the events of the show.

Special Thanks: @yunakairi.cosplay

1. Game of Thrones: Fallen Empire (Open World RPG)

Developer: Ubisoft

There is a developer that has a unique ability to pump out an absolutely impressive and unprecendented amount of vast open world action RPG’s. Ubisoft has one of my favorite franchises, Assassin’s Creed, a franchise that Ubisoft is able to churn out in incredible speed. While other developers take 4-7 years building their vast open world games, with studio’s like CD Project Red or Rockstar content to put out a game once or twice a console generation, Ubisoft will have them beat several times over.

Now I appreciate that quantity is obviously not everything, but I argue that the last several Assassin’s Creed have not suffered too noticeably from shorter development time of similar games. In fact, Ubisoft has other franchises, that while less successful, prove they can build new and different settings quickly. Ubisoft is even tackling one of the first non-EA modern Star Wars games. I think Ubisoft is uniquely qualified to deliver us a open world Game of Thrones Action RPG; and I would be ok if this meant an extra year off for Assassin’s Creed, Watchdogs, or other franchises. Game of Thrones is a massive universe that just perfectly and oh so obviously fits for an open world RPG. Plus this would give the developers a creative break from franchises they’ve been working on for years. This could be similar to how EA Dice alternated between Battlefield and Star Wars.

In my pitch for an Ubisoft lead Game of Thrones open world action RPG, you start off with the ability to create a character. You can choose between male or female, and your House. Your House choices include Lannister, Stark, Targaryen, Tyrell, Baratheon, or a Wildling. Your House dictates your stats, narrative options, starting allies and enemies, and even starting wealth and location on the map.

The time era is the same as the show, however it exists in its own timeline and doesn’t conflict with the show or books. Your character has a impact on the outcome of the story in the game. In this world, characters that live or die in the show may very well have different outcomes in this story. Best part yet, it would have a great ending.

If you enjoyed this article, stay tuned for more "5 Games" lists, and much more on Game Infinite social media. Tell us in the social's comments which pitch you liked best and what games you want to see get made!