Gaming Signal: Rumor: Bioware's next RPG?

Rumor: Bioware's next RPG?

Today, I find myself coming into some information about an upcoming computer RPG from the folks over at Bioware. The news was delivered from sources that wish to be unnamed, and until I can verify the information, will be marked as a rumor. So with that little bit of qualifying and covering of my own rump out of the way, I can move back to the news.

Bioware is working on a RPG based on the A Song of Fire and Ice series by George R. R. Martin. Furthermore, the timing of this game may come to match the release of the series that HBO is producing. The source for the rumor indicated that EA has purchased the rights for video games based on the series and EA owns Bioware, therefore it is a logical progression.

My own take on this is that it would be great news for gamers since the series is quite rich and has a lot of story to draw from. The cynic in me questions the information since Bioware has been working on Dragon Age for quite some time, and this would be something very new from them. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, and we can hope that the information will be true...

My only concern is that games lend themselves to high fantasy but for this (A Song of Fire and Ice series by George R. R. Martin) I feel that the series is more historical fantasy fiction in nature than actual "high fantasy."

I offer a chop from the Wikipedia entry on the series as further substantiation:
"Whilst the series is set in a fictional secondary world and Martin has acknowledged his debt to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Jack Vance and Tad Williams,
the series differs from these earlier works in its greater interest in
and use of realistic elements. Whilst Tolkien was inspired by mythology, A Song of Ice and Fire is more clearly influenced by medieval history, most notably the Wars of the Roses."

If Bioware can pull this off I will be surprised. But since it is Bioware (HOLY BIOWARE) doing this game, I can't think of anyone better to attempt a fantasy with historical leanings than them.

So color me skeptical but enthused?

Posted by tditto on Monday March 10, 2008 at 2:56 PM

I agree Trent - there is very little magic in the series in general. An RPG that didn't honor that would be going in a very different direction, therefore I can assume it would be more medieval. Is that going to be fun, hmmm.

Posted by scottsh on Tuesday March 11, 2008 at 2:23 PM

Darklands was the last medieval RPG, and I would love to see a game where magic was more muted. Even in the LOTR games I have played has had a lot more magic than what Mr. Tolkien had written.

Posted by Tim on Tuesday March 11, 2008 at 5:21 PM