5 Brandon Sanderson Books That'd Make The Best Video Games

At this point, Brandon Sanderson is a household name. What was once relegated to a sizable and dedicated fanbase has now ballooned into a full-on industry, complete with one of the biggest Kickstarter campaigns of all time.

However, Sanderson hasn't really crossed over into the realm of video games as often as fans would like. While there is a Cosmere tabletop RPG and Sanderson has been involved in a few non-Cosmere gaming IPs, we haven't gotten a full-on Cosmere AAA game yet. That could change, and any of these ideas would make for a pretty killer video game experience.

Mistborn (Any Era) - Action/Stealth FPS

Right now, Mistborn is gaining traction in the tabletop world. There's a deckbuilding co-op game already available, and the tabletop RPG adaptations have been rolling out in the past year. It's fresh on everyone's minds and is often the first thing that people point to as the ideal Sanderson video game adaptation.

If any series was going to be adapted into a video game, it would be Mistborn. While fans have their favorite eras of the timeline (there are three so far), all of them would make an ideal setting for an adaptation.

Take it from Sanderson himself, who mentioned offhand that he was trying to get it adapted into a video game: "I’ve started to get some real interest on the video game front, and I feel I’m finally getting established enough that we can make a Mistborn game happen. To that end, I’ve started talking to some AAA developers. This is at Step One only, but it’s an encouraging one. These rights were tied up with the film rights for the last… oh, six~seven years, so I didn’t get to test the market on them until recently."

There are a lot of directions that a Mistborn game could go, but the most obvious one is a Dishonored-like action/stealth hybrid FPS. Whether it stars Kelsier or Wax Ladrian, there are plenty of similar characters the development team could use as a framework for their protagonist. Really, the main draw of a Mistborn game is witnessing a visual feast. Getting to walk around in its world would be a blast, and I hope we get to see it one day.

According to Sanderson, it would require a bit of work, though, given its high profile: "I’m trying to do things differently this time in an effort to retain control of my video game rights. I already have interest from some major players in the Video Game industry (who I like a lot). So if you are a decision maker at a AAA studio, or a major independent, and you’ve always wanted to make a Mistborn or Stormlight game… well, you would want to contact my reps now."

Oathbringer - RTS

Oathbringer, the third entry in the Stormlight Archive series, would make a perfect real-time strategy game. The sheer number of locations that Oathbringer visits throughout the course of one novel is staggering, adding credence to the concept of constantly swapping locales. One of the most obvious locations to spotlight is the Shattered Plains, but you could also include many others, like Alethkar.

Clocking in at 1248 pages, some fans consider Oathbringer to be overly long and complex, which a game adaptation could help make more palatable for newcomers.

Infinity Blade - Open World RPG

The Infinity Blade saga is one of the most complicated tales on the mobile marketplace. Originally debuting in 2010 in the early days of the Apple App Store, Infinity Blade went on to help legitimize the mobile platform as a video game powerhouse, offering high-quality visuals in a fantasy setting. This simplistic action combat game spawned two sequels, some cross-IP tie-ins, and two novellas written by Sanderson himself.

Titled Infinity Blade: Awakening and Infinity Blade: Redemption, these stories link the games together with a story penned by Sanderson. Clocking in at 128 pages and 174 pages respectively, they're quick reads, and a smart conceit for filling out the game's world.

Given Epic Games' passion for the material they created, they could easily get Sanderson back on board for a full-on RPG set in the Infinity Blade universe. Get Sanderson involved in the lore set of things and let him go to town, just like George RR Martin did for Elden Ring. His attention to detail is unparalleled, and I have no doubt that he can help craft an intriguing open world.

Sadly, Infinity Blade is a stagnant IP on life support. Epic never updated the trio of games for the App Store, and as a result, Apple terminated its partnership, and everything is in limbo. At the very least, you can still pick up Sanderson's books, which hold a lingering hope for a full-on revival of this strange and unique fantasy universe.

Even if we see the return of the original games one day in a package deal on updated platforms, it could pave the way for Sanderson's return to the series.

Tress Of The Emerald Sea - Light-Hearted Adventure Game

Tress of the Emerald Sea, which has been compared to The Princess Bride in terms of tone, is a fantastic book that's ripe for the comedy RPG treatment. Framed around the simple story of Tress trying to save her love from a sorceress in a world of seafaring and pirates, there are a lot of opportunities to jam in puzzles and sweeping vistas, including Tress's island-based home.

There's plenty of room to see the development of Tress as a character as well, which would follow her journey from her perspective. With sharp casting and potentially some motion capture work, it would be an ambitious but fulfilling project from all sides. Not to mention, the fourth-wall breaking that's present in the book would be really easy to do with video game narration.

There are scores of voice actresses who would be perfect for the job, and developing a pointed comedy game would be a much easier endeavour than a fully AAA open-world epic quest. Strong and memorable supporting characters are the cherry on top.

I mean, who doesn't love pirates? They seem to pop up constantly in video games and are beloved almost every time. With games like Sea of Thieves still in operation, there's a demand for more pirate media at any given time.

Shadows For Silence In The Forests Of Hell - Survival Game

Described by some fans as one of the most underrated Sanderson works, Shadows For Silence In The Forests Of Hell would make a perfect survival game.

Taking place in a dangerous forest, Shadows For Silence courts horror fans, and features a unique protagonist named Silence Montane. As a bounty hunter, her skillset would translate perfectly into a survival game, which plays in nicely for her constant need to survive and fight her way out of dangerous situations.

Silence also has many distinct personality traits, described in great detail in the book, making her a unique character to control and setting Shadows For Silence apart from many similar genre classics. In that same vein, there's a perfect opportunity to present flashbacks throughout the game, which fill in Silence's story and provide motivation for the survival setup.

In fact, many fans consider Shadows For Silence to be an underrated work, so releasing a polished, replayable survival game could be a great gateway for folks unfamiliar with this work. Considering how much shorter this book is than his prior tomes, that sort of bite-sized yet satisfying experience would fit Shadows For Silence to a tee.

Even if we don't get a Brandon Sanderson video game anytime soon, we should see one eventually. The pull of the Cosmere is strong, and Sanderson is pretty young as authors go. He has decades of writing ahead of him and could easily shift into another medium.

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