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Patrick Rothfuss' The Kingkiller Chronicle To Be Adapted Into A Video Game
The best-selling fantasy book series The Kingkiller Chronicle is getting a video game adaptation, thanks to a multiplatform deal between Lionsgate and author Patrick Rothfuss. The game will be produced simultaneously alongside film and television adaptations of Rothuss' story.
The announcement comes after a heated bidding war between Lionsgate, MGM, Fox, and Universal. Rothfuss was previously courted by the aforementioned companies at Comic-Con.
“Honestly, I've never been very interested in a straight-up movie deal,” Rothfuss said in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter. “But Lionsgate was willing to work out something different, a multiplatform deal where they develop the films, TV series, and games simultaneously. That will give us the screen time to develop the characters and show off the world. What's more, through this whole process, they've treated me with amazing respect. I never thought a studio would approach me as a creative partner who understands how stories work."
The Kingkiller Chronicle, one of the highest-selling fantasy series behind George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire according to Lionsgate, tells the story of Kvothe, a gifted man with magical abilities. The story is told through memories of a present day Kvothe as he recounts his journey to becoming an unequaled magician to an individual known as the Chronicler. The first novel, The Name of the Wind, was published in 2007. Since then, the series has gone on to sell over 10 million copies across an additional novel and three novellas.
Peter Levin, who was named Lionsgate’s president of interactive ventures and games, is heading production of the video game adaptation following Lionsgate's announcement to expand from films into games last year. Levin is also responsible for the upcoming John Wick video game adaptation, which is being published by Starbreeze Studios, the team behind such games as The Darkness, Payday 2, and the Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. A promotional version of the John Wick game is set to come to Valve’s HTC Vive virtual reality device.
Lionsgate recently acquired the rights and is working on a film adaptation of the Borderlands series. Lionsgate also made a significant investment in The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us developer Telltale Games earlier this year. That deal resulted in Unity CEO John Riccitiello (formerly of Electronic Arts) and Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer being placed on Telltale Games' board of directors.
[Source: The Hollywood Reporter]
Our Take
With series like Telltale's Game of Thrones performing well enough, it's possible that Lionsgate will opt for a more narrative-driven experience. The series synopsis reminds me of the Forgotten Realms' Elminster novels, in which protagonist Elminster recounts his rise to power to a third party, and those are some of the best fantasy books around, so here's hoping Rothfuss' work gets an honest shot.
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