Video game developer Daedalic Entertainment and Bastei Lübbe AG, shareholder of Daedalic and publisher of Ken Follett’s novels in German-speaking markets, are teaming up to create a multimedia experience of one of Follett’s masterpieces: a game based on Follett’s best-selling novel The Pillars of the Earth.
The project – an adventure game – is scheduled to be published in 2017 on all leading platforms. Among others, releases are planned for PC, Mac, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and iOS.
This is the first official Ken Follett videogame to be developed. It will revolve around the story of Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth. At the same time, Ken Follett is also working on a new novel, which is scheduled to be published in fall 2017, and will be taking readers back to the fictitious medieval town of Kingsbridge in South England.
“Simultaneous with the release of the third Kingsbridge novel in fall 2017, the video game based on The Pillars of the Earth will be published on all consoles, PC, and mobile devices. We are very proud to not only continue our long-lasting and successful partnership with the exceptional, best-selling author Ken Follett, but also to extend it to new media channels”, explains Thomas Schierack, CEO of Bastei Lübbe AG.
“I’m thrilled that The Pillars of the Earth – which is probably my most famous book – is going to be turned into a computer game by Daedalic, now part of the Lübbe organisation. I believe this will bring my work to the attention of a new generation of readers.”, says Ken Follett.
“We are very aware of and feeling the responsibility that comes along with this project: The Pillars of the Earth is one of world literature’s most-read and best-selling books, and comes with a large and long-lasting base of millions of fans. To meet their high expectations of our game will be a tremendous challenge – but one we are very eager to face”, explains Carsten Fichtelmann, founder and CEO of Daedalic Entertainment. “Together with Bastei Lübbe and Ken Follett we determined that the genre of adventure games is the best and most suitable way to adapt and express the substantial depth of such a historical novel. Adventure games are interactive literature, and we at Daedalic dedicated ourselves to the perfection of this genre’s playing experience. We are very happy and feel extremely honored that our work is being acknowledged by one of the world’s best-selling authors, and to be allowed to take his work into interactivity”, Fichtelmann adds.
“To our knowledge, this will be the first time for a computer game of this scale to be published simultaneously with the new book of an international best-selling author“, adds Felix Rudloff, chief executive of programme and PR at Bastei Lübbe AG. “There will not only be a positive marketing effect by the novel on the game, but we also believe the game will also increase interest in the new book”, Rudloff predicts.
The Pillars of the Earth, published in 1989, takes place in medieval England, in the fictitious town of Kingsbridge. Setting around the building of a cathedral, the historical novel traces the development and disputes between the clergy, the nobility, and the simple folk suffering from exploitation.
Bastei Lübbe and Daedalic Entertainment will publish a retail version of the game in 2017 in several countries, as well as digital version worldwide for all consoles, PC and mobile platforms. The game will be translated in up to ten languages.
Visit Daedalic Entertainment's website here.
