I never watched the Game of Thrones series on HBO because, frankly, I get my fill of political awfulness from the real world in which I live. But even without being immersed in the scene, I was surprised how quickly everyone stopped talking about it: It was like the last season rolled and everyone immediately decided to pretend the whole thing had never happened.
There's something of a comeback happening on the videogame front, though. The action RPG Game of Thrones: Kingsroad launched on Steam in March, and tonight at the Summer Game Fest we got our first look at Game of Thrones: War for Westeros, a new RTS being developed by PlaySide Studios.
As you might expect from the title and the fact that it's an RTS, players will take command of the armies of House Stark, House Lannister, House Targaryen, or the Night King, and go to war for control of the Iron Throne in either a singleplayer campaign or "free-for-all multiplayer."
From the press blast:
Engaging in epic real-time strategy battles, forging strategic alliances, and weaving deceit against rival forces will be key. Each faction offers deeply asymmetric strategies, with signature heroes, armies, and mechanics forged from the brutal legacy of Westeros. Players can deploy infantry, cavalry, siege engines, giants, and dragons to break enemy lines as they work to outplay and outmaneuver rivals with inspiring hero abilities and the ruthless instincts of a true war commander.
And a handful of screens:
It'll be very interesting to see how War for Westeros fares when it arrives. It may be a very good RTS and you can never have too many of those, but I wonder how much the Game of Thrones license really brings to the table, and whether it will attract many gamers who wouldn't otherwise be interested in a "classic" fantasy RTS in the first place. Do we really still care that much about Jon Snow and the gang?
We'll find out next year: Game of Thrones: War for Westeros is currently slated to launch sometime in 2026 and available to wishlist now on Steam.
