The Walking Dead studio Telltale won't be telling Westeros' ancient history in their Game of Thrones game. Instead, they plan to use the same time period as the show and novels.
"I think the show provides a timeline, but the world is huge," Telltale CEO Dan Connors told DigitalTrends. "You’re talking about the politics of an entire– it’s like Europe and some other continent. There’s so much going on and it’s so rich. Every decision that King Joffrey makes impacts so many people."
"Any microcosm in that world [looking at how] people are affected by the decisions that are made plays out across the whole thing."
If the mention of 'King Joffrey' didn't tip you off, he then reiterated that the game isn't a prequel. You won't be reliving, say, Robert's Rebellion. You'll be somewhere in the middle of the current civil war between the various kingdoms. Connors, unfortunately, doesn't reveal much more than that.
Added Connors: "The show does a great job of interpreting George R.R. Martin’s work, and his work provides a huge dictionary of knowledge about what the franchise is. It’s really a dream to sit down and say, ‘What’s our space in this world? Where are we in this world?’ And the world offers you so much to explore."
I previously said that Barristan Selmy or the Brotherhood without Banners would make good subjects for the game. I still think that's true. We only see a small percentage of those characters' journeys and you could fill games with their exploits.
However, Telltale doesn't need to pin their game to an established character. They could focus on entirely new characters, or at least characters we've never directly seen before in the show or books.
As awesome as, say, a Bronn video game would be, I don't imagine that Telltale is going to base their original story around a fierce warrior. They don't make hack-and-slash games. Their emphasis on story, dialogue and puzzles above combat suggests that the star will be someone more...fragile. Maybe we'll become a peasant whose village gets burnt down by the Mountain, or some second son sent to join the Night's Watch?
We shouldn't have to wait much longer to find out Telltale's specific plans for their Game of Thrones game. The company said at Spike VGX that it would debut in 2014. I imagine they'll release the first episode after they wrap up the second season of The Walking Dead and first season of The Wolf Among Us.
