Introduction

I originally had this idea of turning the world of Mistborn into a video game while still eagerly racing my way through the first book. I was enamored with the world he created, the action, the mystery. And as I stayed up late into the night reading page after page, the words sprang to life in my mind as clear and vivid images. I could see Kelsier and Vin soaring through the mists in the night, and I so very much wanted to experience that sort of freedom, that amazing power. Unfortunately the constraints of physics insist that I not fling myself through the night by virtue of an iron heavy diet, but I thought of another way I could claim some semblance of that power.

From a very young age I loved video games, though the exact reason why eludes my memory. It is entirely possible that four year old me simply enjoyed little more than the bright colors and making things move around on the screen. Fortunately (or unfortunately if you were to ask my mother) my love of video games stuck with me as I continued to grow, and I'm now able to explain almost eloquently why I enjoy them so much. They offered me escape. When I sat down and booted up a game, I could forget for a while the cares of the world, and instead step into worlds of impossible fantasy, incredible power, and moving stories. I'm never going to be Spider-Man, or a Jedi Knight, or a wizard in real life, but in the game I get to claim those powers as my own. So when I saw in my mind's eye the legendary Mistborn, and felt the desire to experience that myself, it seemed so wonderfully natural that the world of Scadrial could become a video game.

And the more I thought about it, this imagined Mistborn video game, the more certain I became that it could be something incredible. As an avid gamer I think myself to be rather qualified to discuss what makes a game good. And in going through which aspects I think matter most, Mistborn kept aligning perfectly.

It seems almost needless to say that it has an excellent storyline, even speaking from a purely literary perspective. And it also has a story that I think would adapt well to gameplay, being strongly linear but still set in a time and place that will allow the player a good deal of freedom in how to spend time between key narrative points.

The abilities of Mistings and Mistborn become elements of engaging gameplay so wonderfully I almost wonder if you had a video game in mind with their creation. The movement especially reminds me strongly of the fast and fluid movements of the highly acclaimed Spider-Man video games of the last decade, an aspect that contributed greatly to the games' success. It is difficult to imagine anyone not finding at least some enjoyment in wielding the abilities of a Mistborn in travel, combat or conversation.

It is also worth noting that an existing fan base is also a substantial benefit. While this does not contribute directly to the inherent quality of a game, having a considerably large preexisting group that will almost certainly want to purchase and play a game bodes well for the larger financial success of this endeavor.

At this point though I'd like to make a concession of sorts. Many fans have been frustrated by their favorite book being ill-adapted to a film or television series. I think that there is a great value in the fact that some stories, some worlds, simply exist best in one medium alone. There are certainly games of mine that I would hate to see butchered on the big screen. That being said, adaptation does not guarantee failure. Spider-Man was a comic character, thrust into animated shows, live action movies, and eventually a video game, most of which saw considerable popularity. More recently Amazon's adaptation of the Fallout video games into series has been exceptionally successful and enjoyed by gamers and non gamers alike.

I would love to say with absolute certainty that if we made a Mistborn game it would be a smashing success, but I honestly don't know. What I can say is that I believe strongly that the world you created, with its narrative, powers, and characters, are the perfect building blocks for a truly incredible game.

I would love to make this game. I really do think it could be great. But the world of Mistborn, and everything in it, is yours. I won't make something with it unless you want to. If you would prefer the story of the fight against the Final Empire remain a purely literary one I will completely understand.

But before you make any decision, I would ask that you take a look at the rest of this document, in which I outline in some detail my ideas for how the game would function at a game design level. While this is far from a complete plan that could be quickly developed into a working game, I think it stands as a compelling proof of concept.