Boldly gambling that there may be some overlap between fans of Game Of Thrones and people who like video games, HBO has confirmed plans to develop a massive multiplayer online RPG based on the series with the help of Bigpoint, which took a similar risk on fans of Battlestar Galactica. The online game, expected to enter beta testing this fall, will take place in the world of Westeros and feature plotlines inspired by both the show and George R.R. Martin’s Song Of Ice And Fire books, in the hopes that Game Of Thrones devotees might also enjoy getting together on the Internet to immerse themselves in the minutiae of a total fantasy world and then fight each other over it. Presumably the marketing campaign will include a compelling explanation for why an ardent Game Of Thrones fan would consider it worthwhile to forgo pursuing sport or other outdoor activity instead.

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