One of the premier fantasy epics, Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melnibone, is finally receiving a video game. An Elric video game is long overdue, although it was fittingly announced on the 60th anniversary of the series.
If you've never heard of Elric of Melnibone, you're one of many. However, it's been extremely influential over the past six decades. Skyrim, Witcher, Game of Thrones, Warhammer... these are only a few of of the franchises that wouldn't exist in their current form without Elric of Melnibone, so it's quite exciting to see a Elric video game announced to be in development.
The game will be developed by Swedish developer Runatyr, who have acquired the rights to the first six books in the Elric Saga. The video game will be first video game based on Elric, although not the first attempt. Back in the 90's, Psygnosis tried to develop an Elric video game for the PS1, which obviously never succeeded.
“Elric is my favorite fantasy character and it feels absolutely amazing that Elric will finally come to life in a video game,” says Yasin Hillborg, creative director at Runatyr.
Michael Moorcock has "taken a linking" to the way the narrative of the Elric video game was presented during a pitch, and has also voiced his support:
"For many years I have looked forward to seeing Elric translated into a state of the art video game and at last it looks as if Runatyr are going to bring that dream to fruition!" said Michael Moorcock. "I am sure they will make the best game possible!"
He will also be working with the developers on the game. The game will be called Elric of Melnibone, and it's currently planned to be released in 2024 for PC and consoles, so we're in for a long wait.
What do you think of this announcement? Have you ever read any of the Elric of Melnibone books? Let us know in the comments!
