The re-release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is slated to be launched sometime in the last half of 2022. On top of upgraded graphics and performance, there will also be more DLC in this update. With this, the Witcher TV series, and the Witcher 4 being announced, there is a lot of excitement for Witcher fans.
While The Witcher has gained a lot of traction thanks to its video games and television series, there are plenty of other phenomenal fantasy novels and book series out there that deserve video game adaptations. They would not only translate well into video games but would help bring a brand new audience to them.
The Runelords
The Runelords is a novel series written by the late David Farland that features an intriguing magic system that allows men to take what are called endowments from others via runes. Be it senses such as scent or hearing, or other attributes like glamor and strength, those who possess these runes are called Runelords.
The magic system is incredibly unique and could perfectly be used in a video game. A skill tree could unlock different levels of the endowments one can receive from others. Of course, these must be taken from other people and willingly so. As a result, the game could introduce a moral meter that gives a different ending to the story depending on the choices made.
A Song of Ice and Fire
A Song of Ice and Fire, better known by its television title Game of Thrones, which is well-known for its twists, is an epic fantasy series written by George R. R. Martin. Partially thanks to the television series, it has become as iconic and popular as The Lord of the Rings.
While the book series is still unfinished, that shouldn't stop the rest of the world from being explored or even having a game take place during a different time period from the books. The world is vast with plenty of interesting points to choose from. With how popular the franchise is, it's genuinely shocking that a game of some kind hasn't been seized, but it will likely happen someday.
The First Law
The First Law written by Joe Abercrombie is often compared to A Song of Ice and Fire and features a dark and gritty world that is at war. Overall, The First Law provides readers with a diverse world with plenty of action, which is what helps draw them in.
While there is no singular main character, the world of the First Law could easily have a brand new protagonist, or a customizable avatar, explore the world and engage in conflicts that might even take place during the book series. It could also use some of the protagonists within the book series to offer different experiences and side quests.
The Black Company Chronicles
Glen Cook provided readers with one of the best Dark Fantasy novel series out there. With its mix of mystery, thriller, horror, and fantasy, it could offer an interesting game similar to Witcher 3.
A Black Company game could be approached in numerous ways, but with the blur of all these genres, the series has it would be better to have them all in one game. Witcher 3 already had detective aspects to its game along with its sword and sorcery combat and this is something Black Company could do just as well. The world is also heavily explored giving many options, and with the Black Company existing for centuries, they could make the main character of the game part of any time period.
Mistborn
Mistborn is a series written by Brandon Sanderson. It offers a variety of magic systems such as the 10 metals that can all be utilized by those called Mistborn.
The basic magic system in Mistborn is relatively straightforward in many ways and could be compared to the way advantages and disadvantages are used in video games like Pokémon. It is a highly complex system all the same that would offer diverse gameplay that would let players constantly change how they want to approach the game. While it could work well in a game, this unique fantasy magic system would be difficult to adapt to live-action.
Malazan
The world of Malazan was created by two authors, Steven Erikson and Ian C. Esslemont, though Erikson's novel series is more well-known. They created this world through roleplaying and initially tried to make a movie from it but opted for a book series instead.
What's so amazing about Malazan is the number of possibilities it has. There was never meant to be a set protagonist and the books of Malazan are much more about its worldbuilding than anything else. With that fact known, placing a new character or a custom avatar into the world of Malazan would make for the perfect video game. The world is incredibly structured and there are plenty of characters that would already serve perfectly as NPCs. In many ways, Malazan would work best as an MMORPG.
The Dark Tower
Stephen King is more renowned for his horror novels but among his most famous books is the fantasy series The Dark Tower. Those who have read The Dark Tower series would know how much it would be a perfect dark fantasy video game.
Fans often recommend this novel series to those who are fans of FromSoftware's Dark Souls and Bloodborne. The Dark Tower offers a mix of fantasy, horror, western, and sci-fi elements, which would offer amazing world exploring. Roland Deschain would work as a perfect protagonist for the game, especially as Red Dead Redemption 2 has proven that a gunslinger can be an amazing character to play in a video game.
Elric of Melniboné
Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock is one of the most famous series in fantasy literature. It has a huge impact on the genre influencing books like A Song of Ice and Fire and The Witcher, specifically the best Witcher, Geralt of Rivia.
While Elric is actually getting a narrative video game, according to GamesPress, it's still uncertain what kind of video game it could end up being. Regardless, the book is still worth mentioning as Elric is a complex character with an interesting story. While there is a set-in-stone story, an Elric video game could work well with a moral meter that lets Elric either descend deeper into darkness or not.
The Stormlight Archive
Like Mistborn, the Stormlight Archive is written by Brandon Sanderson and features one of the best fantasy book series of all time. The magic system is highly complex and the rich world is described in breathtaking beauty.
The Stormlight Archive could never really work as a live-action, as it would always fall short. But a video game could do it right and do it the justice it deserves. It would give fans vibrant lands and diverse action and while the game could easily focus on the current story, it could also jump to a different time period and focus on the original Knights Radiant.
The Wheel of Time
The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan with the last three novels finished by Brandon Sanderson is one of the best fantasy series to date. The world is complex with heavy influences from real-world cultures and the magic system is similar to many elemental ones seen in anime.
While the show hasn't been well-received by fans, many would still love a different approach to the world. With the Wheel of Time having several incredible and important characters the best approach to a Wheel of Time video game would be to focus on them. Both Rand al'Thor and Egwene al'Vere would be perfect choices as the former is the main character and the latter gives fans the most POV of the White Tower and the Aes Sedai.