Westeros

First, a disclosure: it has been a very long time since I seriously played this particular kind of real-time strategy game. The last one I spent much time with was Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, back in 1995. I never moved on to StarCraft, Total Annihilation, Command & Conquer and the rest. Some Total War, yes, but that’s a different beast in a lot of ways. So, with that out of the way, and the recognition that it means I’m not really in a position to tell experienced RTS players whether Game of Thrones: War for Westeros is doing something revolutionary or even exceptional for the genre. But I can give my near-neophyte impressions, and also share how well the game captures the feel of Game of Thrones (and ASoIaF) in its tactical gameplay.

The verdict? Quite impressed! I’ve posted my thoughts over at the Features section of the site, here. But one thing I shared there, I’ll highlight here as well: PlaySide has now revealed two additional heroes that will be part of the game, heroes that were not included in the demo build that we and other press had access to. Here’s the reveal of the Mountain that Rides and Arya Stark:

As teased two weeks ago, PlaySide has premiered its full gameplay trailer at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, giving a richer look at the real time strategy game’s factions and units, combat, and more. You can see the trailer for yourself below!

We’ve had the opportunity to play an early demo build of the game, and hope to share some of our impressions soon!

For more, including the announcement of a beta test, read the press release below:

Back when PlaySide Studios and Warner Bros. Games announced Game of Thrones: War for Westeros, the real-time strategy game was expected to arrive on PC in 2026. The wait will now be a little longer.

In a substantial development update, PlaySide discussed the game’s factions, heroes, combat mechanics, unit behavior, and the importance of controlling terrain. The update closed with the announcement that War for Westeros will now launch in early 2027, giving the developers additional time to reach the level of quality they are aiming for.

Today brings something rather more immediate: PlaySide has released a brief official gameplay reveal teaser. It is very brief indeed, but offers our first small taste of the game in action.

Random House has published the first details on the 2027 A Song of Ice and Fire Calendar, revealing the name of the artist involved and the cover image which will be one of the thirteen pieces in the calendar. The calendar will be illustrated by Tyler Jacobson, an award-winning artist who is very well known for his fantasy works in Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons circles in particular—a few years ago a piece of his, a painting of Drizzt do’Uren, sold for $155,000 at auction, setting a record price (which possibly has not been exceeded still).

The art features Beric Dondarrion in battle, with a great depiction of the Dondarrion coat of arms. There’s a suspiciously gigantic figure fighting behind him, who might possibly be Gregor Clegane?

NetMarble has announced the beginning of pre-registration for Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, they’re upcoming free-to-play mobile and PC action RPG set during the 4th season of Game of Thrones. Pre-registration begins today through to the game’s release, currently planned for the 2nd quarter of this year.

See below for the full details regarding pre-registration, and follow this link to pre-register today!

Netmarble has announced that their forthcoming Game of Thrones: Kingsroad is Coming to Steam Next Fest, with a demo that will be available to be downloaded and played on PC from February 24th at 8:00AM through to March 3rd (PST). The game is developed for iOS and Android as well, but no word whether similar demos will be available for those platforms.

They are encouraging users to visit the Steam page for the game and add it to their wishlist, with goal tiers for total wishlistings releasing special items and perks to those who play the demo:

Last month, we reported on the reveal of Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, an action RPG based on the TV series developed by South Korean publisher Netmarble. They have now released a short gameplay trailer, ahead of an upcoming closed beta test in the US, UK, and parts of the EU from January 16th to January 22nd. Interestingly, the trailer and the beta test both confirm that initial reports that the game was mobile-only, it will also support Windows computers.

For those interested in signing up for the closed beta, you can sign up at the official site for the game. Registration ends on January 12th.

During this year’s Game Awards, where many upcoming and often highly anticipated games announce themselves and reveal launch trailers, among the cinematics for the likes of The Witcher 4 or gameplay trailers for games likeElden Ring: Nightreign or The Outer Worlds 2, Warner Bros. and South Korean developer Netmarble unveiled a brand new trailer for Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, a mobile-only open world action RPG that starts during the fourth season of HBO’s award-winning Game of Thrones. Although it had officially unveiled at South Korea’s G-Star trade exhibition last month, it seemed to make few waves outside of the Asian press, so for many fans this is the first time they’ve heard of it.

See the new trailer, which features appearances by numerous familiar characters like Jon Snow, Varys, and Jaime Lannister:

The previous trailer, and some additional thoughts based on what we’ve seen, below!

With House of the Dragon, the now-filming Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and all sorts of other tidbits (we’ll get into those in other posts) drawing renewed attention to George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, a surprising blast from the past showed up when comic illustrator Mike S. Miller—best remembered by GRRM fans as the artist behind the comic adaptations of the Dunk and Egg novellas—tweeted that someone had found the order page for his lithograph of Robert Baratheon and Rhaegar Targaryen at the Ruby Ford… and actually orderd it, which reminded him he still had some of the lithographs floating around.

And now you, too, can order (while supplies last) the first (and, as far as I am aware, only) officially licensed lithograph artwork for A Song of Ice and Fire by visiting Miller’s website and clicking the “Buy Now” link.

For some history on the lithographs, see below!

Just a little over half a day left on CMON‘s crowd fundraising campaign for their next ASoIaF-based game, A Song of Ice and Fire: Tactics. Made to the same scale as their miniatures games (with thanks to Dark Sword Miniatures, who hold the license for all miniatures), this tactics-based game has already very much cleared its fundraising goal, with over 5500 backers raising $1.6 million (and counting). There’s some pretty impressive miniatures on display, in particular an enormous Drogon miniature that is a crowndfunding exclusive.

Here’s a trailer for the game from CMON:

Below, you’ll find the press release for the game with additional information!

A happy occasion for bibliophiles, as the latest entry in the Folio Society’s A Song of Ice and Fire illustrated editions has now been released: A Feast for Crows in a beautiful, slipcased two-volume edition with beautiful artwork by Jonathan Burton. Below, you’ll find the Folio Society’s video for the launch, as well as a few images they’ve sent to us share!

The 2022 A Song of Ice and Fire Calendar [Affiliate link] is now available, as George R.R. Martin has noted on Twitter with a post featuring a fantastic preview of one of the pieces by Spanish artist Arantza Sestayo.

The image depicts the ravens being sent out from Dragonstone, with one of the best depictions we’ve seen of the citadel’s many terrifying gargolyes and the stone shaped by Valyrian magic.

HBO has unleashed a wave of promotion for the “Iron Anniversary”, marking the 10th year since A Game of Thrones premiered. To mark the occasion, a teaser has been made… and many things have been planned during the month-long celebration, including some new and unique collaborations, curated viewing experiences, and a “MaraThrone” series binge which will bring actors from the show to rally fans towards giving to a number of charitable causes.

One of the most unique of the collaborations is with the world-famous jeweler firm Fabergé, who is producing a one-of-a-kind jewelled egg. More details below.

Dark Sword Miniatures, one of the longest-running license-holders for works related to A Song of Ice and Fire, has surprised us by revealing that legendary miniature sculptor Tom Meier has added to the George R.R. Martin Masterworks series by sculpting Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters Visenya and Rhaenys.

Aegon Targaryen, the Conqueror, as sculpted by Tom Meier and painted by Anne Foerster.

A few days ago, Random House and George R.R. Martin revealed the A Song of Ice and Fire 2022 Calendar (affiliate link), which will be illustrated—and gloriously so, by the looks of it—by Spanish artist Arantza Sestayo. As has become a tradition with these calendars, it will feature 12 paintings for each month, plus a bonus, double-page image to make 13 in total.

The calendar will be published on July 27th, but pre-orders are now available