Games are an interesting medium when it comes to writing stories because a lot of people don't quite seem to understand the intrinsic qualities of what makes games work. No matter how 'premium' you try to claim your story is, it won't quite work as a game if it's just emulating another medium.
Which is exactly why it's so interesting to see more traditional writers try their hands at gaming. It's a whole different field to play in, and it can be so interesting to see how an author tries to put their own style into a medium so incredibly unlike their own.
8 George RR Martin
We'll get the obvious one on everyone's brain out of the way. When Elden Ring was first announced, the mention of George RR Martin being attached was a major point of interest.
After games primarily written by Hidetaka Miyazaki, it was enticing to imagine what such a well-known author's effect would be on their established form of writing.
Known especially for his intense family trees, storied histories and similar-sounding names, Martin's impact on Elden Ring is undeniable. Though he was specifically tasked with writing the mythos of the world, it can be felt everywhere, both in the direct contents of the game and the more subtle foundations of it all.
7 Dmitry Glukhovsky
Though the games based on his works are more well-known internationally, Dmitry Glukhovsky's Metro series has been a massive success in Russia and other parts of Europe since its release. Originally written when he was only 18, the Metro series has since become a sensation, with even the games inspiring them.
The Metro games by 4A Games are adaptations of the self-same books, with Mr. Glukhovsky helping with them. He was even more directly involved in the sequel, Last Light, writing a unique story for it that diverged significantly from his own works.
6 Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman is one of the world's most well-known living authors, his works are as varied as they are surreal. Usually contemporary, his works like Coraline and American Gods stretch across plenty of age groups and themes. He got his beginning in comics too and has also worked in TV, stage, and film.
Yet only once has he worked in a game, Wayward Manor, released in 2014. Written and narrated by Neil Gaiman, it was rather poorly received, and it wasn't the writing that took it down, but rather that it simply wasn't a very interesting game.
5 Clive Barker
Of all the more traditional authors that have taken a step into games, Clive Barker is both the most successful and prolific. In a career spanning decades, Barker has created some of the most iconic characters in horrors like Pinhead and Candyman, working closely on many of the adaptations of his works.
Starting in the 1990s, Barker started in games with adaptations of his work Cabal and made multiple more, such as his latest of Jerico in 2006. Their genres vary wildly, from first-person shooter to adventure, though no one can deny that he genuinely saw games as another place to make art rather than just for tie-ins.
4 Marc Laidlaw
Marc Laidlaw is likely a name you primarily recognise due to his prevalence within games themselves, which may have you questioning why exactly he's on this list. Well funny enough, Laidlaw actually got his start as a more traditional author, and to this day is still writing novels completely unrelated to gaming.
In a rare instance of cross-disciplinary awareness, Laidlaw knew that after joining Valve to work on Half-Life, he couldn't just write it like a novel. Elements rarely applied to games writing could be used, of course, but that storytelling had to be built into the very foundations of the game, rather than just what was directly shown in cutscenes.
3 Terry Pratchett
Beloved for the colourful language and incredibly biting themes of his works, Terry Pratchett was an author of a very particular breed. His Discworld novels spanned decades, never losing his unique edge.
Yet one of his loves that he never shied away from was gaming.
His love for The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is well-known from his views on the lore to his assistance in creating mods. That said, he also had involvement in the 90's Discworld games, creating a brand new scenario for the games.
His daughter, Rhianna Pratchett is also a renowned writer in games, most notably working on the story of the latest Tomb Raider games.
2 Kazutaka Kodaka
You've likely heard of Danganronpa. You've seen the memes.
They're a lot of things in one, from murder mystery to dating simulator, and never ever boring. Created by Kazutaka Kodaka, he is also a writer outside of games.
Unlike every other entry on this list, Kodaka actually did get his start in writing from games, joining up with Spike Chunsoft in the early 2000's. After the massive success of Danganronpa though, he branched out.
Many of these are adaptations of his own works, though there are some manga and written works aside from this too. It's an interesting reverse to most writers.
1 Mike Mignola
Mike Mignola, famed across the comic books industry for his distinct style of both drawing and writing, is most famed for the fearsome Hellboy. Despite his fame as a character, Hellboy has had very few video game adaptations, focused mainly instead on films.
That said, of the very few Hellboy games there are, Mignola has worked on most of them. Hellboy: The Science of Evil, itself an adaptation of the 2004 Hellboy film, was supervised and written by both Guillermo del Toro and Mike Mignola.
The upcoming Hellboy: Web of Wyrd is also being worked on by Mike Mignola with him creating an original story for the game.