Telltale original game?
So, I'm not sure if the question has been asked before...
You've been revisiting Sam & Max, Wallace & Gromit, Monkey Island...
All that is nice (great, even), but while everyone seems to wonder which game you'll adapt next (Day of the Tentacle has been mentioned, Grim Fandago, etc, etc), what I wonder is if and when you're going to have a totally original project.
You've got a good team of writers, designers, etc. You've been able to stay faithful to other characters, and that's good, but in a way it's... limiting? I just wonder what you would do if there were no limits at all. What kind of character(s), what kind of situation, what kind of story...
I was just wondering if you're planning on staying a... I'm not sure how to phrase that... a company that resurrects old, good series, or if there are plans for something that would be 100% telltale. And if so, if that's planned in a long while or in a shorter while...
I think that especially with Monkey Island you must have a fanbase now, so even though an original game would be more of a risk (you don't get the fans of the series), you might have enough people here who would buy it anyways...
So, just wondering about that. Don't get me wrong, I like what you're doing, but I'm more interested in seeing something completely new than in your taking over yet another series.
You've been revisiting Sam & Max, Wallace & Gromit, Monkey Island...
All that is nice (great, even), but while everyone seems to wonder which game you'll adapt next (Day of the Tentacle has been mentioned, Grim Fandago, etc, etc), what I wonder is if and when you're going to have a totally original project.
You've got a good team of writers, designers, etc. You've been able to stay faithful to other characters, and that's good, but in a way it's... limiting? I just wonder what you would do if there were no limits at all. What kind of character(s), what kind of situation, what kind of story...
I was just wondering if you're planning on staying a... I'm not sure how to phrase that... a company that resurrects old, good series, or if there are plans for something that would be 100% telltale. And if so, if that's planned in a long while or in a shorter while...
I think that especially with Monkey Island you must have a fanbase now, so even though an original game would be more of a risk (you don't get the fans of the series), you might have enough people here who would buy it anyways...
So, just wondering about that. Don't get me wrong, I like what you're doing, but I'm more interested in seeing something completely new than in your taking over yet another series.
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I think it would do well.
Anyway, even though I'm not a Telltale staff member or an expert in videogames market, I'll try to answer you on some points you made to make things more clear.
As you said, doing an original project is more riskious as it doesn't have an already solid fanbase which will likely buy the product.
The point is that, despite the success of ToMI and other Telltale games, there's still no guarantee that Telltale has a fanbase big enough to ensure the success of a possible original game. The success of franchise games doesn't mean much at all in this case, because the fans of said franchises may not be aware (or may not care) of who the guys behind the games are. It's likely that what they are interested at all are the games, not the software house.
So doing said game it's always, as far as I know, a blind step. It's a risk that a software house will take only when their financial resource are big enough to sustain a potential failure, and maybe Telltale still isn't ready for that.
Then again, maybe this is all in the past, maybe Telltale has enough financial resources or knows somehow that they have a fanbase solid enough to product an original project and are in their way to do it. It's a possibility.
I hope I made myself clear.
Really? When/where? I'm asking just for confirmation, it would be interesting if it's really so.
Yes, I did, sorry for the vagueness.
It is me, or is it, within the same sentence, less and less of an affirmation?
Kind of weird. As though just talking about it made him want to do it less and less or something.
Probably doesn't mean anything of course.
"Part of the plan, pretty much always." I'd say that confirms it!
I guess the "if" has been answered then. Remains the "when". It's possible even they don't know at this point though.
Good to know.
As for me, I could wait a little longer for other franchised games if that would mean an original adventure game by Telltale.
I think it basically comes down to resources. Licensed games come with not just a built-in audience but with the (possible) assistance of the Liscenor as well, in regards to advertising, creative counseling etc. An original IP is a bigger risk, and takes far more resources because you basically have to work from scratch. The plus is you have far fewer limitations in regards to story, and the downside is you have far fewer limitations in regards to story. It's harder to pin down when you've gotten it "right" when you're also pinning down what "right" is at the same time. For example, going in to designing a Strong Bad game you've got a pretty good idea of what people will expect from a Strong Bad game. You already know who your audience is so they're easier to cater to.
At the same time the Telltales seem to be encouraged to try new things, and perhaps they've been generating ideas for an original series all this time in between working on other projects. They're also continually growing, now allowing them to work on more than one project at once. If they felt that they were finally ready to work on "the" original IP full time and put it into production and create a timeline for it, or however you say it in game-make-person speech, they have their times and working process worked out enough that they could probably get it out within six months.
Basically, we have no idea when they'll do it, but there's a good chance they will eventually and when they do they'll do it fast. Also, for someone who has no idea as to how the game industry really works I sure as heck write as if I do. So, yeah, keep in mind this is just my own conjecture based on a cursory reading of Telltale interviews and blog posts, and I could actually be way, way off.
/canned-response
Something I want to happen (but that never, ever will happen) is for Telltale, Hothead, Double Fine and Autumn Moon to team up and make a game (or games) together. It would be the gaming industry's first team-up, and it would produce millions of joyous tears. Obviously though, the men who wear suits and tell the writers to get rid of all their pop-culture references wouldn't let this happen.
I have to disagree there. All those are great studios, but a huge team-up sounds like a recipe for a confusing disaster. You know the cliche about too many chefs in the kitchen?
Now we need an adventure series with comical sarcastic ninjas! For the other ones!
NOOOooooo!!!!
I'm afraid you're just going to have to accept it-- the pirate fans have won this one. We have Telltale! You ninja fans have . . . Naruto and . . . Ask a Ninja and . . . other stuff I can't think of right now!
And you need a really hardcore blind Ninja fan to prefer Naruto to Monkey Island.
I was thinking more something like Pucca or 4x4 Ninja nonsense. Simple fun, no blood and strange puzzles.
Anyway, I never said I am in the other half...