Ah, Game of Thrones. My eternal rival! So, as of this writing, there are 13 games playing within the world originally born of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novel series. Of that roster, the game that came the closest to capturing the magic of Westeros is Telltale’s Game of Thrones. Touting an admittedly cool trailer at Summer Game Fest, Game of Thrones: War for Westeros would officially make Number 14. And, I’m not going to lie, when it was revealed to be a strategy game, I felt all those old, bitter feelings all over again.Anthony’s piece about War for Westeros did fill me with some optimism for PlaySide’s upcoming title. And I’m not going to disparage that game before we even get to see the studio’s full vision. But, man, am I sick of us going to this well over, and over, and over, and somehow always missing what makes A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones so magical in the first place. So, for this article, I’m just going to briefly yap about the three dev studios I earnestly believe could finally give players the Game of Thrones experience we’ve deserved since the show goofed everything up (House of the Dragon is legit so far, though). From most obvious to least!larian Studios Screenshot: Larian StudiosGod, I want Larian Studios to have the Game of Thrones license so badly. In a perfect world, I envision a full-throated AAA RPG where Larian receives a blank check and as much development time as they need. ASoIaF is, more than anything else, a set of top-notch character studies. If any studio can handle “Hey, make all these characters meaningful and unique,” it’s Larian!Plus, Larian has already proven they can make the most out of a property’s lore and setting to make complete and utter magic. Additionally, Game of Thrones lives in that “Every choice a character makes could lead to their demise” realm Larian does to perfection. Throw the narrative thousands of years away from any of the stories set in the universe we’re already familiar with and let Larian go wild. Suddenly, GoT/ASoIaF reenters the cultural sensation arena!sandfall interactiveScreenshot: Kepler InteractivePerhaps it’s recency bias, but Clair Obscur is easily one of my favorite turn-based RPGs ever. Sandfall Interactive was allowed to craft an RPG equally stylish, impactful, and with its own “…No, they didn’t just do that” twist. I could see Sandfall making Game of Thrones a cinematic turn-based RPG in that same vein while hitting all the emotional highs and lows within the narrative.If Larian could nail the scope, agency, characterization, and ambition of a GoT game, Sandfall could knock the narrative and visual flair out of the park! Now, my only fear would be Sandfall dancing in a fictional world they didn’t create from scratch. But, come on, you can picture it! Sandfall could further cement its legacy with its own “Red Wedding” event. …If you know, you know, ya know?Schisma GamesScreenshot: 101XP“Who?” I hear you say. The devs behind The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante! So, this is a choice that immediately sprang to mind following my recent playthrough. The writing and character work in Sir Brante are stellar. But where I believe Schisma Games could take a Game of Thrones title to new heights? The narrative systems they’ve already defined to a science. In Sir Brante, misery is inevitable. Every choice you make is stressful, and you never have any idea who will suffer as a result. That’s Game of Thrones, baby.Their more “visual novel-minded” take on the RPG format also gives Schisma Games the runway to offer more options that a “bigger” studio might not be able to. Multiple Houses to play with, many occupations, different ambitions. And I know that Schisma Games isn’t afraid to kill the main character, so there would be no cowardice or narrative shortcuts and conveniences. ‘game of thrones’ deserves nothing but the bestScreenshot: PlaySideI’m simply a humble nerd. Universe, I don’t ask for much. But if you let one of these studios have Game of Thrones? I can rest. I can finally heal from the traumas of the show, the fact that the novel series will probably never be completed, and all the games that only wanted to cash in on the property’s status without love, dedication, or respect. Westeros is too rich and varied a playground for it to be constantly disrespected like this.The post ‘Game of Thrones: War for Westeros’ Is Fine, but It’s Not What ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ Deserves appeared first on VICE.