Video game enthusiasts will recognize The Witcher as an extremely successful franchise of meaty monster-slaying RPGs. Book lovers will know The Witcher as a series of novels and short stories by prolific author Andrzej Sapkowski. Some folks hold the Netflix adaptation near and dear, too, but that’s beside the point. Why make a deep fantasy book series into a video game? And, more specifically, why was The Witcher chosen out of all the possible options for an adaptation?
To answer that question, we have to head back to 2003, when the development team at Polish game studio CD Projekt RED decided that they wanted to work with their favorite fantasy books series from when they were teens and college students. Andrzej Sapkowski is kind of like Poland’s George R.R. Martin. CD Projekt RED got the rights to adapt The Witcher into a game and embarked on a journey that would tell Geralt of Rivia’s interactive story through three distinct entries, culminating most recently in 2015’s critically acclaimed The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. A fourth game is on the way.
Since then, we’ve seen attempts at an open world Harry Potter game and countless RPGs trying to capture the magic that CD Projekt RED bottled and sold with their third Witcher game. Although, for the majority of gamers, none of these attempts have come close to hitting the mark the way Witcher 3: Wild Hunt did.
So, why don’t we try to do better? Here’s our list of six epic fantasy book series that would make for absolutely stellar game adaptations. We also cover the books that should be left alone. Our hope is to leave you imagining what your favorite storylines might look like in video game form. Who knows...one day, it might just happen.
1. The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
The Poppy War is a grimdark military fantasy series set in a world inspired by 20th-century Chinese history, particularly the Second Sino-Japanese War and the opium trade. The story follows Rin, a poor, orphaned girl from the south of the fictional empire of Nikan, who dreams of escaping her abusive, impoverished life. The trilogy blends elements of dark fantasy, military strategy, and historical fiction.
Kuang’s historical fantasy world feels like a perfect setting for an epic RPG adventure. The player could guide Rin through a series of mounting altercations as her power grows. The richness of The Poppy War series would make for a game with plenty of interesting side quests and customization options, not to mention how cool it would feel to inhabit the grittiness of Kuang’s epic story.
2. Broken Earth by N.K. Jemisin
N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy is a groundbreaking series set in a world plagued by constant geological instability. It’s a future Earth where people known as "orogenes" have the ability to control seismic energy, but are feared and oppressed for their destructive powers. Pardon the pun, but the series’ earthiness is exactly what could make it into a darkhorse video game hit.
The reason I point this out is because magic and superpowers have always been hard to pull off in games. It all comes down to what industry practitioners call “friction.” Friction is the little bit of challenge that makes a game fun, but the whole point of friction is that there’s a goldilocks zone; too little friction and the game is cloying, too much and it’s so frustrating that most folks will want to put it down. Getting this balance right is perhaps the most important factor for how a game sells in an increasingly oversaturated market, and recent attempts at both superheroes (e.g. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League) and magic users (e.g. Hogwarts Legacy) have tended to have so little friction that gamers toss them aside.
Enter Broken Earth, a deep fantasy setting where characters’ powers mix with the ecology. This could, if done right, lend itself to deeply satisfying environmental puzzles and rewarding battle mechanics. In the hands of the right developers, Jemisin’s masterpiece could sing while exposing new audiences to the best fantasy series of the 2010s.
3. Mistborn Era One by Brandon Sanderson
Ash rains from the sky on the world of Scadrial, a gritty, politically charged setting from which Sanderson’s epic Mistborn series bursts forth. Vin, a young girl trying to survive in the capital city, and Kelsier, a radical magic-user with plans to bring down the corrupt government, carry the story, with Vin’s perspective taking center stage. Meanwhile, Allomancy, the process of metabolizing metals and using their effects to unleash various powers, forms the basis of the story’s magic system.
Mistborn’s setting and logical-yet-superhuman powers seem tailor-made for a video game adaptation. The scarcity of resources needed to create magic would incentivize players to explore the dangerous world of Scadrial, while Vin and Kelsier’s distinct goals and experiences could lend the game a dual-dimensional element that would keep things fresh and briskly paced.
Sanderson even recently released a list of his favorite games. Mistborn is a natural fit to become a gamer favorite.
4. Gentleman Bastard by Scott Lynch
Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastard series follows a group of elite theives known as the “Gentleman Bastards” who pull off increasingly high-profile heists. It makes for a compellingly plotted and intricate book with a satisfying payoff and stakes high enough to scintillate even the most pessimistic readers.
The game would be absolutely bonkers. Imagine a fantastic heist, fueled by Lynch’s unique world-building and whimsical characters. Nothing quite like it exists out there right now, and I think it would combine the recent surge in indie heist games like SteamWorld Heist II with the classic AAA RPG in a way that fans new and old would love.
5. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
The Throne of Glass series follows former assassin Aelin, who we first meet in a mine, serving out a criminal sentence. She is plucked from imprisonment when Chaol, the Prince’s best friend and Captain of the Guard, says that he can lessen her sentence if she competes in an assassin competition for him. She agrees.
The story flows from there. Doesn’t this first part sound like the perfect tutorial for a stealth-action RPG? I certainly think so.
I envision Assassin’s Creed or Ghost of Tsushima with distinct fantasy vibes, with Maas’ story guiding its worldbuilding. Due to the series’ loyal fan base, a Throne of Glass game could be a massive crossover success, all while staying true to Maas’ cutthroat-yet-fun tale of secret Princesses and ever-changing first names.
6. First Law by Joe Abercrombie
In his First Law series, Joe Abercrombie tells an epic tale in a fantasy world that is on the verge of industrial revolution. Magic has been outlawed, and characters must navigate a sordid, ever-changing society on the brink of its largest shake-up yet. The book’s unique characters have a variety of multifaceted personalities – like Bayaz, an ancient wizard who diverges in fascinating ways from classic Gandalf-esque tropes; and Glokta, a champion/war-hero turned torturer, to name a few. They would lend the video game a number of immensely satisfying storylines and abilities.
What’s more, who doesn’t love some visceral fantasy that isn’t afraid to spill blood? A First Law game would appeal to book-lovers and gamers across the world, not to mention the fact that Abercrombie’s writing is some of the most human you can find across all genres of fiction. If the game version of First Law would be as easy to lose oneself in as the books are, then the world of RPGs would be sure to gain a modern classic.
Epic fantasy series that should be left alone
I’m sure there are a number of series that you think should have been included on this list, and if that’s the case we definitely want to hear from you. Leave your thoughts in the comments!
However, there are a few classics that I want to rope off in this section. Some stories just weren’t meant to be games. Here are the ones I believe fit that particular mold.
As you can tell, some themes that unite these three series are the sheer size of their respective fan bases and how each of these series can rightfully be called “classic.” The fact that two of them are still unfinished also comes into play.
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
A lot of video games have attempted to pull off Tolkien’s masterpiece, to varying levels of success. In fact, one of my earliest gaming memories, before I even read or watched The Lord of the Rings movies, was playing The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and hearing Gimli’s iconic “and my axe” line echo out of the speakers I had hooked up to the GameCube that my parents got me for my birthday when I was in elementary school.
Was I too young to be playing a hack-and-slash monster game made from Tolkien’s IP? Probably. Was the game good? No. Should developers try again with this story? Certainly not.
The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss
This series is two books into a planned three-book run. It has an extremely nuanced magic system that wouldn’t lend itself to being distilled into game mechanics. And in video game terms, main character Kvothe would likely be a better villain than a protagonist.
As an RPG, The Kingkiller Chronicle would fall flat. Perhaps a revival of a Guitar Hero-style game where you play your controller like a plastic lute would fit better. Ah, if it were only 2005 again.
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
Again, this series is unfinished, and people get so up in arms about endings that ol’ Georgy doesn’t write himself, even though he may never actually finish the book series. So far as the reason why this epic fantasy series wouldn't make a satisfying video game, the main thing that comes to mind for me is how the many perspectives that Martin includes in his writing. They would be impossible to do justice to, leaving players with a flat experience.
Still, given the popularity of the series, developers might be tempted to create multiple games set within the Song of Ice and Fire universe. I’ve seen how that has gone for LOTR and would advise against it. Better no adaptation than ones that splinter the fan base further for a complicated work already bogged down in its own mythology.
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