INTRODUCTION

You might be asking, “Brandon, you are a big bestselling author. Why are you writing a video game adaptation?” My answer is simple: I can do it because I’m a big bestselling author.

Let me explain. I’ve reached a point, due in no small part to luck of the draw, that I’m capable of passing on any project I want and writing only the things that interest me. I have somewhat eclectic tastes. I’ve said over and over again that one of the ways I stay fresh when working on large projects is by doing things I haven’t done before. Last year, this itch was scratched by The Alloy of Law and Death by Pizza.

I initially downplayed the Infinity Blade offer. However, after a little back-and-forth, I realized that this project had the potential to be a whole lot of fun. They gave me complete creative freedom, yet I also had some pretty strong constraints. They had built a video game (a very fun one, by the way) that was very popular. My challenge was to take things placed into the game because of mechanics, and actually build magic systems, a world, characters, and a story to match them. The game developers had some ideas, but they told me I could do anything at all that I wanted.

I’ve often said that interesting limitations make for interesting magic systems in books. Well, I’ve also found that interesting limitations in writing can force me to grow and stretch in different ways as a writer. I took on the project partially because the guys I was working with were so much fun, but also because, as a gamer, I’ve always had a bit of an itch to be involved in video games in one way or another. (I’ve always envied Orson Scott Card, for example, who worked on the original Monkey Island, one of the great games of all time.)

This story was just plain fun to write. I had a blast with it, and it turned out quite well. I got to play with the idea of blending entertainment media, the story is for sale in-game, and together with the game, blends storytelling with gameplay. I think our world is going to change in interesting ways as books, video games, and cinema meld together.

So, this story hit a sweet spot for me. I got creative freedom, the ability to work with fun people, a chance to work with some interesting limitations, a chance to dip my toes into video games (they also let me do a draft on the script for the second game), and a chance to play with transmedia.

This story is intended to be accessible to all, but that said, it does rely a lot on things that happened in the first game while throwing balls up into the air for the second game to catch. (That was part of the challenge.) Much like The Alloy of Law, it is not intended to be the end-all of my career, but rather is me exploring new types of writing and trying to have fun along the way.

That said, I am quite pleased with the book and what it accomplishes. I present it to you proudly, and hope that both Brandon Sanderson fans and Infinity Blade fans will find something awesome in it to love.

Best,

Brandon

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE

Coinciding with the announcement of the new iOS game Infinity Blade 2, ChAIR today launched “Infinity Blade: Awakening,” a novella written by #1 New York Times bestselling fantasy author Brandon Sanderson. The all-new literary adventure delves more deeply into the fantastical fiction of the Infinity Blade video games, to uncover a world of mystery and intrigue where magic and technology are indistinguishable, and even life and death are not what they seem. The “Infinity Blade: Awakening” novella is available now for $2.99 via the iBookstore.

“An exciting aspect about media in this age is the chance to blend different types of storytelling, blurring the lines between game, novel, and film,” said author Brandon Sanderson. “Infinity Blade is a great game with real narrative depth hiding beneath its shiny graphics, and I was grateful for the opportunity to express this in prose form and illuminate what had been previously hinted at in the game. I’ve really enjoyed working with ChAIR to produce something fresh and new that really adds to the experience of Infinity Bladeand hopefully changes the view of gaming fiction as a whole.”

FUN STUFF

To get the whole story, play the games and read the novellas in this order:

1. Infinity Blade
2. Infinity Blade: Awakening
3. Infinity Blade II
4. Infinity Blade: Redemption
5. Infinity Blade III

However, the novellas will catch you up to speed if you haven’t played the games, so don’t worry about being lost.

FROM THE BACK COVER

Long months have passed since Siris and the God King, enemies betrayed together, were left to rot in the prison at the Vault of Tears. Their true enemy—the Worker of Secrets, creator of the Infinity Blade itself—now reigns. Upon finally obtaining freedom, Siris must unravel plots that seem to make no sense, lead a rebellion with no direction, and fight against the division within his very heart. The secrets unraveled will dig backward in time toward the origins of the Deathless and the true nature of the world itself…

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson and ChAIR entertainment, creators of the blockbuster Infinity Blade video game series, comes the second novel in the epic Infinity Blade saga. This latest tale delves deeper into the fantastical world of the Infinity Blade, a world of mystery and intrigue where magic and technology are indistinguishable, and even life and death are not as they seem.

FROM THE PRESS RELEASE

ChAIR ENTERTAINMENT & NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR BRANDON SANDERSON ANNOUNCE NEW CHAPTER IN INFINITY BLADE SAGA,  INFINITY BLADE: REDEMPTION

Salt Lake City, UT (August 20, 2013) — ChAIR Entertainment, a division of Epic Games Inc., today announced Infinity Blade: Redemption, the second in a series of novellas based on ChAIR’s award-winning Infinity Blade video game series and written by #1 New York Times bestselling fantasy author Brandon Sanderson (The Way of Kings, Mistborn, The Wheel of Time, Steelheart). Infinity Blade: Redemption publishes worldwide on September 3rd exclusively on iBooks and is now available for pre-order.

Infinity Blade: Redemption delves deeper into the fantastical world of Infinity Blade, a world of mystery and intrigue where magic and technology are indistinguishable and even life and death are not as they seem. The secrets unraveled will dig backward in time toward the origins of the Deathless and the true nature of the world itself.

“As an avid gamer for most of my life, I’ve been thrilled at the chance to be involved in the Infinity Blade project,” said author Brandon Sanderson. “It gives me a chance to geek out in a new way, and it allows me to explore storytelling in this new world where different types of media can merge, get shaken up, and enhance one another.”

Infinity Blade: Redemption will be available where other digital books are sold beginning September 9th. Pre-order the book and read a preview chapter now exclusively on iBooks.

Learn more about Infinity Blade: Redemption and other Infinity Blade products on the official site. Follow @InfinityBlade on Twitter and ‘Like’ “Infinity Blade” on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/InfinityBladeGame

ABOUT INFINITY BLADE:

In 2010, Epic Games’ award-winning studio ChAIR Entertainment forever changed the landscape of mobile gaming with the introduction of Infinity Blade for the App Store. Powered by Unreal Engine 3, Infinity Blade and its acclaimed 2011 sequel Infinity Blade II, brought handheld gaming to new heights with gorgeous visuals, adrenaline-fueled battles and advanced character progression in a fully 3D world. With more that 40 million players worldwide, the Infinity Bladegames are among the most popular ever launched on the App Store, receiving a combined 50+ Editor’s Choice and Game of the Year accolades, as well as the International Mobile Game Awards “Excellence in Design” Award and the prestigious 2011 Apple Design Award.

Further expanding the game’s lore, ChAIR introduced a series of bestselling digital novellas written by acclaimed fantasy author Brandon Sanderson. Fans can dive more deeply into the fantastical world of Infinity Blade with Infinity Blade: Awakening and its 2013 sequel, Infinity Blade: Redemption, available on all popular digital bookstore platforms.

ABOUT ChAIR:

Founded in 2005, Salt Lake City-based ChAIR Entertainment is a subsidiary of Epic Games, Inc. In December 2011, ChAIR introduced the award-winning sword-fighting adventure Infinity Blade IIfor the App Store. Following in the footsteps of the original iOS blockbuster Infinity Blade, introduced in 2010, the critically-acclaimed sequel won more than 25 Game of the Year and Editor’s Choice accolades and remains one of the most popular games released on the App Store. In 2009, ChAIR released the modern and masterful side-scrolling shooter Shadow Complex, published by Microsoft Game Studios exclusively for Xbox LIVE Arcade. The critically-acclaimed Shadow Complex received numerous E3 and Editor’s Choice Awards and was named Game of the Year by more than 40 media outlets. Prior to that, ChAIR debuted the award-winning underwater action-shooter, Undertow for Xbox LIVE Arcade. Follow @ChAIRGAMES on Twitter and Instagram and ‘Like’ on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/ChAIRGAMES.

ABOUT EPIC GAMES

Established in 1991, Epic Games, Inc. develops cutting-edge games and cross-platform game engine technology. The company is responsible for the bestselling “Unreal” series of games, the blockbuster Gears of War franchise and the groundbreaking Infinity Blade line of mobile games. Epic’s award-winning Unreal Engine technology has won dozens of awards and is available for licensing. Epic is continually recruiting top talent for its studios located in North Carolina, Washington, Utah, Poland, Korea and Japan. For more information, visit http://www.epicgames.com and follow @EpicGames.

Epic, Epic Games, Gears of War, Infinity Blade, Unreal, Unreal Engine, UE3 and UE4 are trademarks or registered trademarks of Epic Games, Inc. in the United States of America and elsewhere. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

FUN STUFF

To get the whole story, play the games and read the novellas in this order:

1. Infinity Blade
2. Infinity Blade: Awakening
3. Infinity Blade II
4. Infinity Blade: Redemption
5. Infinity Blade III

However, the novellas will catch you up to speed if you haven’t played the games, so don’t worry about being lost.