Earlier this week, two businessmen (Jamie Ottilie and Brian Waddle) announced that they had bought Telltale Games’s company name and some of its licenses. Neither of these men had ever worked at Telltale before. Furthermore, the funds for this investment came largely from Athlon Games, a subsidiary of the Chinese game proprietor Leyou, plus from executives who had previously worked with game publishers such as Starbreeze and Rebellion.
What Happened To Telltale?
This month sees the one year anniversary of Telltale Games’s abrupt closing. This iconic studio brought us beloved and critically acclaimed titles such as The Wolf Among Us, Tales From The Borderlands, and The Walking Dead. When the studio shut down suddenly thanks to mismanagement, its mistreated employees were left scrambling for jobs. Now with the studio’s imminent restoration, we can expect the old staff to return and continue developing the same great narrative adventures we know, right?
Well, maybe. Maybe not.
Aside from the company’s new owner, there is little indication that Telltale will have many of its old members. In an interview with Polygon, Ottilie indicated “that some workers from the original Telltale Games will be offered freelance roles, with full-time positions possible in the future.” The plan in itself appears non-committal and freelance roles do not always put bread on the table. Besides, many of the old Telltale staff will likely have found other jobs by now to support themselves. Former Telltale Episode Lead Writer Jessica Krause stated similar reservations on Twitter. “[H]iring former devs on a freelance basis in the most expensive part of the country [San Francisco area] doesn’t really encourage me that much.”
The Studio’s Vision and its Future:
Ottilie and Waddle want Telltale to pick up on its stories where it left off, but can it? It is not the company’s name that makes a great game, but the people who work there.
“We would love to bring back everyone who wants to come but that just isn’t the economic reality of the games industry and it would be irresponsible of us to do so.” —Ottilie, speaking to Polygon
The scarcity of old staff and the company’s new owner have left the gaming community wondering. Will this be a real revival or will this resuscitation only bring us a shambling ghoul of what Telltale once was? Will the studio resume creating the sort of engrossing narratives and gripping games that we have come to love, or does this news simply herald another company snatching up a label in the hopes of sucking more money from loyal fans?
Cause for Hope:
On the other hand, there is promise for a bright tomorrow. The owners emphasized how they desire a “sustainable company with a healthy, non-crunch work culture.” Former narrative designer Emily Grace Buck reached out to some of the old employees who were invited into this new iteration of Telltale. She is “cautiously optimistic,” seeing how excited her former coworkers seem to be about resuming their projects. “But more than anything else,” she says, “I hope beyond hope that this new Telltale will treat its employees better than its predecessor. Because games aren’t made by brand logos that you can buy. They’re made by people who deserve care.” Hopefully, this new version of Telltale will learn from its past leaders’ mistakes.
Various other testimonials from returning Telltale staff and developers paints a bright picture of the company’s future. They seem fairly confident that the company’s new management will be more responsible and compassionate. These same staff have also recognized that the gaming community’s skepticism toward this acquisition is understandable. “Here is a situation where some investors resurrected a failed company, and in the process, chose to bring back developers whose lives were affected by that failure,” says Brett Rogstad, a returning member of Telltale’s art department. “Let’s not cast shade yet.”
As of now, it is too early to draw any real conclusions. Give the studio time to resume making games in earnest and for its workers to settle into their roles. Then we may know what to expect from this “reborn” company.
Further Reading:
For Telltale’s perspective, you can check their official press release here.
For Polygon’s write-up of its interviews, check their initial article and their followup.
