Brandon Sanderson and Joe Abercrombie Break Down Why Huge Fantasy Worlds Derail
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Fantasy authors Brandon Sanderson and Joe Abercrombie recently discussed why epic fantasy worlds often lose their narrative focus, pointing to Game of Thrones as a prime cautionary tale.
Epic fantasy is an incredible genre for total immersion, but it comes with structural traps that even the best writers struggle to avoid. In a recent conversation shared on YouTube, fantasy heavyweights Brandon Sanderson and Joe Abercrombie discussed the craft of writing and pointed to Game of Thrones as a prime example of scope getting away from an author. Sanderson noted that massive stories often start with deeply personal character stakes before drifting outward, leaving creators bogged down by side characters and sprawling plots.
Abercrombie added that the inclusion of world maps creates specific narrative hurdles. While maps add a sense of realism and scale, they also lock creators into logistical challenges regarding travel and geography. Sanderson pointed out that this exact issue plagued the later seasons of Game of Thrones, where fast travel timelines left viewers asking how characters crossed vast distances so quickly.
For gamers and fantasy fans who spend countless hours dissecting lore in community hubs, these worldbuilding pitfalls feel very familiar. Whether it is a sprawling open world RPG or a multi-season television adaptation, maintaining tight pacing once a universe expands past its core focus is a universal design challenge. Sanderson is currently navigating these exact waters himself as he adapts his own Mistborn and Stormlight Archive works for film and television.
Tags: RPG, Gaming Culture, Worldbuilding, Streaming
Original article: Polygon