Game of Thrones a good setting for social games, says Disruptor Beam
Jon Radoff is less enthusiastic about more traditional games set in Westeros
Game of Thrones Ascent will be the social incarnation of the popular Game of Thrones franchise. To Jon Radoff, CEO of Disruptor Beam, the franchise is well suited to fit the social space but he has doubts about whether more traditional single-player RPGs in Westeros could succeed.
"A lot of typical fantasy worlds like Lord of the Rings have clear cut good and evil where good guys form a band to fight evil and that's not very dynamic for social games," said Radoff. "In Game of Thrones Ascent, you can evoke all the feelings of the series. Westeros is a fascinating world for players to play in and be able to live out similar dramas and political intrigues that happen in the show."
"Ironically, I don't think it's a good environment about classic single player gamers," he added. "I have nothing to say about any games that might be set in the same universe. Traditionally, most RPGs are about beating up monsters and getting loot; that doesn't work well in Westeros, but it's a good universe for a strategic gameplay. For us, it was about looking at the authenticity of the world and Game of Thrones Ascent really reflects those type of things you see in that world. Part of it is swearing allegiance to certain houses; we'll talk about the particulars over the coming weeks."
Read the full interview on [a]list.