Kurt Sutter is a madman. Like most madmen though, Sutter has a lot of plans, and one in particular has been a Sons of Anarchy video game. He’s rumbled about it before, but hit a wall of budgetary and commitment concerns. The shining light there being that Sutter was against doing some cheap cash in game like we’ve seen from Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead (the one with Daryl, not the one from Telltale).
But rumblings from the outspoken creator on Twitter and rumors of a possible studio have the idea of a Sons of Anarchy video game spinning around once again. Makes you wonder what kind of experience could be in store.
My first thought towards any video game based on an intellectual property is that it shouldn’t feature the characters or story from the actual property. There are exceptions to this throughout gaming history. Games like Aladdin and DuckTales are great, but I can’t think of many properties that have stood out in the modern era. Chronicles Of Riddick is the only one that comes to mind, but I think it is much easier to stay away from established stories and allow more freedom in a game.
That said, I could see some sort of prequel tale here. Possibly a take on the First Nine idea that was popping around here not so long ago. I could even live with a prequel featuring the current set of characters, including a triumphant return for Opie. But for my money, I’d like to take a look at some other chapter of the group. One with a different experience than what we already get in Charming. Just keep Chibbs far away from those damn Irish.
Another thing is that the game shouldn’t just try to copy another game for success. If I wanted to play Grand Theft Auto, I’d play Grand Theft Auto. There’s even a SOA-like storyline available in the form of The Lost and The Damned that I could find myself content with as a spiritual Sons of Anarchy video game (even if Trevor Phillips sort of pissed all over that in GTA V). If anything, stay as far away from the Ride to Hell series as you can. That’s a can of sh*t we don’t need to muddle an already risky idea.
The safe bet here is to just let sleeping dogs lie. A Sons of Anarchy game might seem like a fun idea at first, but the track record for these types of games is like that corpse filled road in Hotel Rwanda. You can make a lot of money and find success, but the quality usually suffers from the red tape involved and the limitations in storytelling.
And a video game certainly isn’t where the strength of Sons of Anarchy lies. That’s part of the reason that I feel a tie in with little connection to the actual mythology would be a better route if a game actually came to fruition. It would at least help to satiate some of those lofty expectations connected to the characters and allow the game to breathe a little easier.
We’ll have to keep an eye open for any official announcements, but for now we can say that any Sons of Anarchy game should stand out if Sutter’s enthusiasm is any indication. And it certainly can’t be any worse than Ride to Hell.
(Images via FX / Rockstar / Kurt Sutter )
