George R.R. Martin “honored” to be involved with Elden Ring

Elden Ring, the latest dark adventure game created by FromSoftware, is out on store shelves, and it’s a hit. As George R.R. Martin summarizes the reviews on his Not a Blog, “Once in a generation… masterpiece… beautiful and brutal… a sumptuous open world… ” And they go on like that.

Why would the creator of Game of Thrones be writing about the video game Elden Ring? Because Martin was brought on early in the process to help with the worldbuilding aspect of the series, which I assume means he came up with some ideas for the lore. “Of course, almost all the credit should go to Hidetaka Miyazaki and his astonishing team of games designers who have been laboring on this game for half a decade or more, determined to create the best videogame ever,” Martin clarified. “I am honored to have met them and worked with them, and to have have played a part, however small, in creating this fantastic world and making ELDEN RING the landmark megahit that it is.”

FromSoftware is the developer behind games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne, moody games famous for their density and difficulty. I haven’t played one myself, but between Martin’s involvement, the spectacular reviews, and reports that it’s not as punishing as their past titles, I’m looking forward to diving into Elden Ring.

Also, there’s this photo:

George R.R. Martin hypes Dark Winds on AMC

Elden Ring isn’t the only project Martin has his hand in. In 2015, he was brought on to help develop and sell a TV show called Dark Winds, based on Tony Hillerman’s novels about Navajo tribal policemen Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. Now, Martin is happy to report that the show is coming to AMC later this year.

“Six episodes long, the story is adapted from the Leaphorn novel LISTENING WOMAN, with additional material from later novels,” Martin writes. “The show was filmed in and around Santa Fe, adjacent tribal lands, and the Camel Rock Casino. “I’ve seen rough cuts of all six episodes, and I’m very pleased by what I’m seeing.”

"I wish I could share the trailer with you, but I can’t… not yet. They are still working on it. But soon, soon. AMC did a panel (virtual) and presentation on the show at the recent TCA meeting (that’s the Television Critics Association), and they tell me it was very well received."

There’s no premiere date for Dark Winds yet, but Martin thinks it’ll be out in the spring or summer. “Tony wrote eighteen novels about Leaphorn and Chee and his daughter Anne has continued the series since his passing, so there is a wealth of material available to us, and our dream is to continue DARK WINDS for many more seasons,” he wrote. “But of course that will depend on how this first season does…”

Before we sign off, I have to include the disclaimer that always comes with these stories: while George R.R. Martin worked on these other projects, his role was minimal and he’s still writing The Winds of Winter. That’s cold comfort to fans who have been waiting over a decade for that book, but it’s still worth repeating.

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