China's Tencent releases test version of Game of Thrones Smartphone Game, 'Winter is Coming'

Tencent Holdings has released a test version of a third-party developed smartphone game in China based on the U.S. hit television show Games of Thrones, bolstering its pipeline hit by heightened government scrutiny of online gaming.

The game, titled “Game of Thrones: Winter is Coming”, was developed by Chinese games maker Yoozoo, Tencent Games said in a statement on its official WeChat account on Wednesday.

Tencent, Asia’s second-biggest company by market value, signed a deal in 2014 to obtain the exclusive rights to stream “Game of Thrones” online in China. The Emmy-winning medieval fantasy series is HBO's biggest-ever hit with some 30 million viewers in the USA and has been played 960 million times so far on Tencent's video platform.

The new game may be a simulation that may let players take on identities such as the character Tyrion Lannister, visit spots like Castle Black, and experience some of the show’s most unforgettable events just like the Red Wedding, Tencent said.

Users who have obtained invite codes may begin playing the game on Thursday, it said.

“The game will inherit the realist kind of the HBO show, and players will be able to control various classic characters from the original novel to battle in Westeros,” Tencent Games said.

Players need to “conquer King’s Landing, capture the Iron Throne, and be the biggest winner in the Game of Thrones."

Watch Game Trailer Here.