Obsidian almost made a Game of Thrones RPG

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But the Pillars of Eternity studio thought the series better suited an RTS.

Game of Thrones is everywhere. It's inescapable. I don't even watch it, and yet, I feel like the new episode has been spoiled for me. But that wasn't the case back in 2005, when George R. R. Martin's novels were still (relatively) obscure and the TV series hadn't even been considered. 

The reason? Apparently the studio considered Game of Thrones better fitted to an RTS game, rather than the open world RPGs they were aiming to specialise in at the time.

"Back then [RTS games] were more relevant and I said, 'I just don't know how we could make... It just feels more like an RTS game.'," Urquhart said. "You have different factions and you put more political intrigue in there."

And elsewhere: ""Other than what weird stuff is going on beyond The Wall, and the dragons, and some hint [of fantasy/magic], there are no magic users, there are no clerics, no thieves. Basically there's dudes with swords and armour and a little bit of mysticism, but within the main land [the Seven Kingdoms] there's no goblins, no kobolds..."

The full story is worth a look if you're interested in the (very reasonable) rationale behind turning the project down. It's good timing too, since everyone's going crazy about the (very unlikely) possibility of a Bethesda Game of Thrones RPG.

Shaun Prescott
Shaun Prescott
Australian Editor

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.