This article contains spoilers forGame of ThronesandThe Walking Dead.
Game of Thronesis widely regarded as one of the most controversial finales in TV history, and fans have been petitioning for a Season 8 remake ever since the show ended in 2019. Now,Game of Thrones: War for Westerosis being marketed as the ultimate “rewrite your own ending” simulator for the TV show. The game will allow players to take control ofmajor houses like the Starks, Lannisters, Targaryens, or even the Night King. The trailer teases multiple outcomes, alternate alliances, and entirely new endings.
However,Game of Thrones:War for Westerosisn’t the first game to allow players to reshape established canon from a TV show.The Walking Dead: Destinies wasreleased in late 2023 and adapted the first four seasons ofThe Walking DeadTV show. Developers had teased that players would be able to alter major events inThe Walking Deadhistory. But whenTWD:Destiniesfinally came out, it was slammed with criticism.
TWD:Destiniesoffered players just enough agency to swapwhichWalking Deadcharacters lived or died, or how a character met their end, or even nudge who became the primary villain. But none of those choices fundamentally changed the outcome of the story. For instance, players could influence who became the leader of Woodbury, but the core conflict with Rick’s group remained unchanged.
Whether Shane survived the farm or not, the story would inevitably lead to aconfrontation withThe Walking Dead’s Governorand the eventual move to the prison. In fact, even if players killed off one character, the other characters would often say or do the exact same things the now-dead character was originally supposed to. Players caught on to this gimmick quickly, and the game suffered poor reviews across all major platforms.
TWD: Destiniesattempted to condense 50 TV episodes, each running between 45 to 60 minutes, into a game campaign that could be completed in under six hours. This led tomajorThe Walking Deadcharacters like Andrea, Duane, and Amy, being completely cut from the game. The pacing was also erratic, and important story beats like the CDC or the encounter with the Vatos Gang were skipped over. There weren’t even any proper cutscenes to show the plot arcs that were included. Instead, the game resorted to slideshow-like presentations to convey key story moments.Game of Thrones: War for Westeroshas eight seasons of dense storytelling to cover, almost double the contentTWD: Destiniesstruggled with, considering theGOT’s extremely dense lore, making it an even bigger challenge.
Game of Thrones: War for Westeros Could Fall Into the Same Illusion of Choice Trap
The developers behindGame of Thrones: War for Westeroshave already stated that players will be able to determine who sits on the Iron Throne. While this sounds promising, the game needs to offer far more than just that singular outcome. If the only real difference the players’ choices make is the identity of the final ruler, and everything leading up to that point is essentially pre-determined, the game might feel just as restrictive asTWD: Destinies.A choice-based gameonly works when decisions create ripple effects; like inDetroit: Become Human, if players fail to find a specific fugitive they’re looking for, the game completely skips the next interrogation chapter, and the rest of the story changes significantly.
Similarly, forGame of Thrones: War for Westeros, if Cersei is dethroned mid-game, alliances should genuinely realign. A true choice-driven experience means that if players allow Ned Stark to live, that should fundamentally alter the story for all characters involved. That means Arya never has to flee King’s Landing, and she never joins the Faceless Men.The War of the Five Kingsmight never even happen. If the Red Wedding is avoidable but Ned just ends up dying anyway in a different manner later on, or if the exact same historical events unfold despite his survival, then that’s not really a choice-based game, but an illusion of choice.
Game of Thrones: War for Westeros
WHERE TO PLAY
Classic real-time strategy in the world of Westeros. Conquer the Seven Kingdoms solo, or in treacherous free-for-all multiplayer. Command the Great Houses, rally iconic heroes, and rewrite the fate of the realm. Do you have the strength to seize the Iron Throne?In War for Westeros, chaos reigns in ruthless free-for-all battles where trust is fleeting and power is everything. Command the Great Houses in epic real-time strategy battles, forge strategic alliances, or weave deceit against your rivals.
