Brandon Sanderson, the creator of Mistborn, may finally achieve what he has been unable to do for the past fifteen years.

In the latest edition of State of the Sanderson, his annual update for fans, Brandon Sanderson revealed that he has been in talks with AAA game studios about developing a Mistborn video game. Years ago, Sanderson made the unfortunate decision to bundle the film and game rights together, which ultimately resulted in neither adaptation being completed. In October 2016, he selected DMG Entertainment as the license holder not only for Mistborn but for the entire Cosmere, the shared fantasy universe in which most of his novels take place. An adaptation of Mistborn: The Final Empire was planned, but the project eventually stalled.

“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. We’re only at step one, but it’s an encouraging step. These rights were tied up with the film rights for the last six or seven years, so I didn’t get to test the market until recently. This time, I’m trying to do things differently in an effort to retain control of my video game rights. I already have interest from some major players in the gaming industry whom I really like. So if you are a decision maker at an AAA studio or a major independent studio and have always wanted to create a Mistborn or Stormlight game, now is the time to contact my representatives,” Sanderson wrote.

The game rights have most likely reverted back to the author, allowing him to seek a new partner for the adaptation. There was once a project titled Mistborn: Birthright, announced in 2012 and developed by Little Orbit, a studio later known for the failure of Unsung Story. That project was ultimately canceled. Sanderson himself is an avid gamer. In early 2022, he made headlines after jokingly complaining that FromSoftware had enlisted George R. R. Martin, author of A Song of Ice and Fire, to help craft the mythology of Elden Ring. Shortly thereafter, Sanderson contributed directly to a game, collaborating with Unknown Worlds on the turn-based strategy title Moonbreaker.

Sanderson has made it clear that he is genuinely excited about the prospect of an AAA game set on Scadrial, the world of Mistborn. An action RPG would offer tremendous potential, particularly given the depth of the lore he has already created and the unique magical systems of allomancy and feruchemy.

Source: WCCFTech, Brandon Sanderson