Hold Your Horseas: Could We Get a Game of Thrones Version of Pokémon Go?

Courtesy of HBO.


As Pokémon Go continues its journey toward world domination, it’s hard not to imagine what its developer, Niantic, will dream up next. Harry Potter fans, eager as ever, are already clamoring for their own version of the game—but it looks like another, more violent castle-filled property might be first in line.

Niantic global product marketing lead Archit Bhargava told Gamespot that in the company’s quest to “create the genre of real-world gaming,” he has one dream step: a Game of Thrones adaptation.

“My personal fantasy is like a Game of Thrones game where Westeros is mapped out on Earth and you join House Stark or whatever,” Bhargava said.

Obviously, the “personal fantasies” of one marketing lead do not drive a company’s decision-making process—but if any beloved property is getting a mobile adaptation, this is good reason for Thrones fans to believe they’re first in line. As anyone who’s hunted for a job knows, there’s nothing more valuable than a recommendation from the inside.

The world already has one Game of Thrones game, Telltale Games’s Game of Thrones, which unfolds across multiple episodes and allows players to play as different characters. But what would a Pokémon Go-esque experience look like? The answer is actually pretty simple.

Start with a character being chased from his or her home, King’s Landing, by murderers who kill the entire ruling family and take over for themselves. Alone and unskilled in combat, the player must battle adversaries on the road to build strength and find several key allies along the way before storming the castles of Westeros’s Seven Kingdoms one by one. To finish, the player must reclaim King’s Landing.

It’s a rough sketch, but you get the idea. And who knows? Maybe George R.R. Martinwould be down to help come up with an even better idea.