I hear people say that Telltale should give up the Sam & Max license quite often, but the thing to remember is that Sam & Max is not a popular intellectual property. No one is fighting Telltale for the rights to make Sam & Max games. At least with Telltale, Sam & Max star in a short pilot program sized games every few years. They'll keep doing so too, as Telltale's CEO Kevin Bruner stated in an interview in 2013 that a small Poker Night sized Sam & Max game would be coming out some time in the future.
If Telltale were to just give the Sam & Max license up, we'd simply have zero Sam & Max games at all. Actually, we'd not only have no new games, but nothing new of Sam & Max whatsoever, since Steve Purcell himself is super busy at Pixar these days.
I guess most of the core Sam & Max fans where here at the early days of Telltale Games. And it was a really great journey for all of us.… more I am so thankful that TTG picked up Sam&Max. Yet you can see how TTG moved away a bit from the original Idea of Point and Click (which feels fundamental to Sam and Max). Which is not a bad thing in general but they moved into a different genre. I found Tales from Borderlands to be one of the funniest and best adventures of recent times. Then again it is not the type of story telling and adventure that suits a Classic Martini like Sam & Max. That is why Double Fine, Revolution or any younger Adventure Game Studio seems to be a better fit for the licence. (if anyone of them would pick it up)
We haven't heard anything new from TTG about our friends Sam & Max recently. And seeing their current focus I wonder if they have the time and resources to fit in such a niche IP. Also it would be quite … [view original content]
You basically say that it's better to perhaps have a game than perhaps not
It"s true but you are easily satisfied. Your link lead to an interview made more than 2 years ago. Time has passed, and let's be honest:
As Bambi said, Sam and Max is clearly a niche compared to licenses like GoT , WD or even Borderlands.
TTG will clearly make much more money with these games, and this leads me to think they will not edit a new game until a long time (if any).
I'm a little sad thinking about these early games (hey, even the Wallace and Gromit games were fun) . Somehow I find it unfair that these games , which made the glorious first days of Telltale, are now dusty and forgotten.
I hear people say that Telltale should give up the Sam & Max license quite often, but the thing to remember is that Sam & Max is not… more a popular intellectual property. No one is fighting Telltale for the rights to make Sam & Max games. At least with Telltale, Sam & Max star in a short pilot program sized games every few years. They'll keep doing so too, as Telltale's CEO Kevin Bruner stated in an interview in 2013 that a small Poker Night sized Sam & Max game would be coming out some time in the future.
If Telltale were to just give the Sam & Max license up, we'd simply have zero Sam & Max games at all. Actually, we'd not only have no new games, but nothing new of Sam & Max whatsoever, since Steve Purcell himself is super busy at Pixar these days.
My point is that it's better for someone to have the license who is vocal about their love for the characters (Telltale's CEO Kevin Bruner was the lead programmer on Sam & Max: Freelance Police and he has stated that Telltale will keep making Sam & Max games), and have shown that they know how to write the characters well (Sam and Max are characterized well, even in the Poker Night series), then to just let the license float in the abyss unused, since no one else has expressed an interest in making Sam & Max games.
I'd be inclined to agree with you that Telltale wouldn't release another Sam & Max game after their recent successes, if it weren't for the fact that Poker Night 2 was released in 2013, after the success of The Walking Dead, and it starred Sam and had Max in a speaking cameo (which was actually a bigger role for the duo than in the original Poker Night, which was released in 2010 during Telltale's adventure game heyday).
Kevin Bruner stated that Telltale intends to make a third small Sam & Max game after Poker Night 2 came out, which was well after their success and game development philosophy change, so I'm inclined to believe that it will come out. If Steve Purcell's license with LucasArts is anything to go by, Telltale's license will expire after non-use (it was five years in the contract with LucasArts), which means that we'll most likely see a new Sam & Max game by Telltale by 2018. 2017 would be a safe bet, as it's the 30th anniversary of the franchise, or early 2018, as Poker Night 2 was meant to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Sam & Max, but was released a few months into their 26th year (which actually isn't uncommon with video games - see Star Trek: 25th Anniversary).
The Poker Night series also were big hits (the Poker Night games are actually their second best selling series on Steam, after The Walking Dead, according to Steam Spy), which is another reason to believe that Telltale would want to continue releasing these types of games.
You basically say that it's better to perhaps have a game than perhaps not
It"s true but you are easily satisfied. Your link lead to an … moreinterview made more than 2 years ago. Time has passed, and let's be honest:
As Bambi said, Sam and Max is clearly a niche compared to licenses like GoT , WD or even Borderlands.
TTG will clearly make much more money with these games, and this leads me to think they will not edit a new game until a long time (if any).
I'm a little sad thinking about these early games (hey, even the Wallace and Gromit games were fun) . Somehow I find it unfair that these games , which made the glorious first days of Telltale, are now dusty and forgotten.
I"m with Bambi on what
I get that the current market realities and comments from Telltale make it seem bleak, but I'm really hoping for a Sam & Max episode or mini-series in 2017, and I'm gonna be severely disappointed if nothing comes out of 2017.
I have to say that I quite welcomed the "new" TTG like TWD 1+2 and GOT but after recently reinstalling Sam & Max they surely missing something those games had. If you are honest all the "new" choice oriented games TTG now makes in core are the same - only the story and the choices are different. This lead to the fact that I am not that interested in TTG games at all anymore. Did not buy the TWD miniseries and I did not buy Minecraft or Borderlands. Bought ALL other games from them but the choice oriented games are becoming more and more boring to me. I would really appreciate another Sam & Max but I don't believe that we will see it. Maybe Doublefine would be a better studio to release this because they still believe in old style point & click which Telltale obviously does not anymore. This once ws a studio with dedication now it's just about the money, if you'd ask me.
As someone who actually loves the new Telltale games, even the less popular ones like Minecraft:Story Mode (which I personally think doesn't deserve nearly half the shit it gets from people as it's good) I too miss Sam and Max, or games of that similar concept.
I'm not too optimistic for a new Sam and Max game from Telltale, but i'd love it if there was gonna be a Season 4 further down the line.
Especially with the introduction of the new game engine!
I'll try to bite my tongue and state this thought politely: We understand Sam and Max aren't that "popular", and that telltale is now dancing around where the money is with walking dead and game of thrones and stuff, but to be honest that's -obviously- not very nice to all the people that bought the three sam and max seasons. Are they really just going to keep on following tv series fads for the sake of safe profits? You can't build up loyalty by resurrecting a franchise and then decide you got bored and want something new and popular to make a quick buck. I mean, you can but it's not nice at all to all the hearts you managed to conquer throughout a whole decade, the fans that nurtured your first efforts as a new team until you guys started dancing with a prettier lady with more money. No one is going to ask for more game of thrones or walking dead games 10 years down the line, yet, here you have fans asking for S&M! Please do consider a fourth S&M season, and if not "possible" or "profitable", I hope for the sake of your studio that your newly found casual TV fans are at least somewhat this loyal or you'll be going down soon dragged by following these TV fads
I just realized I last posted before you xD (damn i'm still obsessing over Sam and Max).
I do agree with you that there seems to be this urge to appeal to ''what's currently popular'' with Telltale. At the same time however, I think they are just trying to do as many different genres as possible and try new things as a means of growth. It does seem kinda shitty that they gave up a lot of their old popular series' of the time when you still have fans who love those games, but keep in mind they are a game company after all.
They kinda have to keep on doing games of more popular things as it brings them more success. As many of us there are that love Sam and Max, there are plenty more people who haven't even heard of them and might not buy the games (even if made by Telltale). With things like The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones, they can at least know for certain that loads of people will purchase their game, making it less of a gamble.
Do not get me wrong though, I do think they should occasionally release some stuff linked to their past games. I'm just saying that though I personally really want Sam and Max games (being a non-member lurker of this forum since the games first showed up). I can kinda see why they don't do it any more.
From a business stand point it does make sense, even if a little erratic.
I'll try to bite my tongue and state this thought politely: We understand Sam and Max aren't that "popular", and that telltale is now dancin… moreg around where the money is with walking dead and game of thrones and stuff, but to be honest that's -obviously- not very nice to all the people that bought the three sam and max seasons. Are they really just going to keep on following tv series fads for the sake of safe profits? You can't build up loyalty by resurrecting a franchise and then decide you got bored and want something new and popular to make a quick buck. I mean, you can but it's not nice at all to all the hearts you managed to conquer throughout a whole decade, the fans that nurtured your first efforts as a new team until you guys started dancing with a prettier lady with more money. No one is going to ask for more game of thrones or walking dead games 10 years down the line, yet, here you have fans asking for S&M! Please do consider a… [view original content]
I just finished season 3, a little sad in the end. I really hope TTG makes another one, the story and characters are so well made and jokes are so funny. I also love the comic. Why there aren't so many things of S&M!?
Sam and Max made me love Telltale games. But now, Telltale is all about picking a popular franchise and making a game out of it. Minecraft? Guardians of the Galaxy? Are they really "point and click adventure" material? I can't even call these games point and click adventure anymore. They removed the puzzle element and turned them into some kind of graphic novels. There is no thought process, you can't get stuck at a puzzle for hours and have the satisfaction of solving it after all the time you've spent. I can understand that Telltale just wants to leech money out of fans of the popular franchises, but their original fanbase are very upset. Atleast I am.
Just wanted to share my feelings about the future of Sam & Max, thanks.
To be honest only Sam & Max game where it is possible to get stuck for hours is Hit the Road. Puzzles were never very difficult in the Seasons 1-3 or in other TTG's point and click adventures. I would describe them more as point and click lite* with good narrative.
*Compared to the difficulty of the old LucasArts and Sierra adventures.
Sam and Max made me love Telltale games. But now, Telltale is all about picking a popular franchise and making a game out of it. Minecraft? … moreGuardians of the Galaxy? Are they really "point and click adventure" material? I can't even call these games point and click adventure anymore. They removed the puzzle element and turned them into some kind of graphic novels. There is no thought process, you can't get stuck at a puzzle for hours and have the satisfaction of solving it after all the time you've spent. I can understand that Telltale just wants to leech money out of fans of the popular franchises, but their original fanbase are very upset. Atleast I am.
Just wanted to share my feelings about the future of Sam & Max, thanks.
I agree. The puzzles in the TT series were easier on purpose since the series was treated as a casual game where one can finish an episode in a few hours. I don't have an issue with this I understand that TT did this so as not to have people stop playing (and buying the episodes) due to frustration.
While I like some of the TT Sam and Max episodes, they were missing something that the Lucas Arts game had and I don't mean a bigger budget. The humor was definitely not the same as Hit the Road. I think Day of the Tentacle feels more like a prequel to Hit the Road than the TT S&M series as a sequel to Hit the Road. I am not even sure if playing in the same environment worked well with the TT Sam and Max games as it did with other games such as Life is Strange. Then again, the TT Sam and Max series pioneered the episodic adventure games and didn't perfected it at the time
I think the problems with games like the TT Sam and Max series is that it is a sequel to a previous adventure game that was made in the '90s. Perhaps if this game was a new IP, people may rate this series higher.
To be honest only Sam & Max game where it is possible to get stuck for hours is Hit the Road. Puzzles were never very difficult in the … moreSeasons 1-3 or in other TTG's point and click adventures. I would describe them more as point and click lite* with good narrative.
*Compared to the difficulty of the old LucasArts and Sierra adventures.
Comments
I hear people say that Telltale should give up the Sam & Max license quite often, but the thing to remember is that Sam & Max is not a popular intellectual property. No one is fighting Telltale for the rights to make Sam & Max games. At least with Telltale, Sam & Max star in a short pilot program sized games every few years. They'll keep doing so too, as Telltale's CEO Kevin Bruner stated in an interview in 2013 that a small Poker Night sized Sam & Max game would be coming out some time in the future.
If Telltale were to just give the Sam & Max license up, we'd simply have zero Sam & Max games at all. Actually, we'd not only have no new games, but nothing new of Sam & Max whatsoever, since Steve Purcell himself is super busy at Pixar these days.
You basically say that it's better to perhaps have a game than perhaps not
It"s true but you are easily satisfied. Your link lead to an interview made more than 2 years ago. Time has passed, and let's be honest:
As Bambi said, Sam and Max is clearly a niche compared to licenses like GoT , WD or even Borderlands.
TTG will clearly make much more money with these games, and this leads me to think they will not edit a new game until a long time (if any).
I'm a little sad thinking about these early games (hey, even the Wallace and Gromit games were fun) . Somehow I find it unfair that these games , which made the glorious first days of Telltale, are now dusty and forgotten.
I"m with Bambi on what
My point is that it's better for someone to have the license who is vocal about their love for the characters (Telltale's CEO Kevin Bruner was the lead programmer on Sam & Max: Freelance Police and he has stated that Telltale will keep making Sam & Max games), and have shown that they know how to write the characters well (Sam and Max are characterized well, even in the Poker Night series), then to just let the license float in the abyss unused, since no one else has expressed an interest in making Sam & Max games.
I'd be inclined to agree with you that Telltale wouldn't release another Sam & Max game after their recent successes, if it weren't for the fact that Poker Night 2 was released in 2013, after the success of The Walking Dead, and it starred Sam and had Max in a speaking cameo (which was actually a bigger role for the duo than in the original Poker Night, which was released in 2010 during Telltale's adventure game heyday).
Kevin Bruner stated that Telltale intends to make a third small Sam & Max game after Poker Night 2 came out, which was well after their success and game development philosophy change, so I'm inclined to believe that it will come out. If Steve Purcell's license with LucasArts is anything to go by, Telltale's license will expire after non-use (it was five years in the contract with LucasArts), which means that we'll most likely see a new Sam & Max game by Telltale by 2018. 2017 would be a safe bet, as it's the 30th anniversary of the franchise, or early 2018, as Poker Night 2 was meant to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Sam & Max, but was released a few months into their 26th year (which actually isn't uncommon with video games - see Star Trek: 25th Anniversary).
The Poker Night series also were big hits (the Poker Night games are actually their second best selling series on Steam, after The Walking Dead, according to Steam Spy), which is another reason to believe that Telltale would want to continue releasing these types of games.
Once again, what you say is probably true.
But even if what you about the end of Lucasarts' contract is correct, we probably will see another cameo, not a dedicated game.
It's cool to see the characters, but this is not what I'm waiting for.
Hope I'm wrong being pessimistic.
I get that the current market realities and comments from Telltale make it seem bleak, but I'm really hoping for a Sam & Max episode or mini-series in 2017, and I'm gonna be severely disappointed if nothing comes out of 2017.
I have to say that I quite welcomed the "new" TTG like TWD 1+2 and GOT but after recently reinstalling Sam & Max they surely missing something those games had. If you are honest all the "new" choice oriented games TTG now makes in core are the same - only the story and the choices are different. This lead to the fact that I am not that interested in TTG games at all anymore. Did not buy the TWD miniseries and I did not buy Minecraft or Borderlands. Bought ALL other games from them but the choice oriented games are becoming more and more boring to me. I would really appreciate another Sam & Max but I don't believe that we will see it. Maybe Doublefine would be a better studio to release this because they still believe in old style point & click which Telltale obviously does not anymore. This once ws a studio with dedication now it's just about the money, if you'd ask me.
All the Sam and Max fans out there need some more things with them involved. We must have them.
I've been doing my part: comic dubs, a fanfic, and soon a fanfic reading... plus gathering support for this:
https://ideas.lego.com/projects/124939
Seriously, can we get another Sam & Max game? I'm sick of Walking Dead rehashes and god forbid more Minecraft Story Mode episodes.
As someone who actually loves the new Telltale games, even the less popular ones like Minecraft:Story Mode (which I personally think doesn't deserve nearly half the shit it gets from people as it's good) I too miss Sam and Max, or games of that similar concept.
I'm not too optimistic for a new Sam and Max game from Telltale, but i'd love it if there was gonna be a Season 4 further down the line.
Especially with the introduction of the new game engine!
I'll try to bite my tongue and state this thought politely: We understand Sam and Max aren't that "popular", and that telltale is now dancing around where the money is with walking dead and game of thrones and stuff, but to be honest that's -obviously- not very nice to all the people that bought the three sam and max seasons. Are they really just going to keep on following tv series fads for the sake of safe profits? You can't build up loyalty by resurrecting a franchise and then decide you got bored and want something new and popular to make a quick buck. I mean, you can but it's not nice at all to all the hearts you managed to conquer throughout a whole decade, the fans that nurtured your first efforts as a new team until you guys started dancing with a prettier lady with more money. No one is going to ask for more game of thrones or walking dead games 10 years down the line, yet, here you have fans asking for S&M! Please do consider a fourth S&M season, and if not "possible" or "profitable", I hope for the sake of your studio that your newly found casual TV fans are at least somewhat this loyal or you'll be going down soon dragged by following these TV fads
Next up, "Tales of Pokemon GO", and then "Suicide Squad: summer fad" followed by "Ghostbusters 2016 the second game: because names sell"
If you want to know what's after that just browse netflix or ask some oblivious TV infranerd about what's trending in the mainstream.
I just realized I last posted before you xD (damn i'm still obsessing over Sam and Max).
I do agree with you that there seems to be this urge to appeal to ''what's currently popular'' with Telltale. At the same time however, I think they are just trying to do as many different genres as possible and try new things as a means of growth. It does seem kinda shitty that they gave up a lot of their old popular series' of the time when you still have fans who love those games, but keep in mind they are a game company after all.
They kinda have to keep on doing games of more popular things as it brings them more success. As many of us there are that love Sam and Max, there are plenty more people who haven't even heard of them and might not buy the games (even if made by Telltale). With things like The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones, they can at least know for certain that loads of people will purchase their game, making it less of a gamble.
Do not get me wrong though, I do think they should occasionally release some stuff linked to their past games. I'm just saying that though I personally really want Sam and Max games (being a non-member lurker of this forum since the games first showed up). I can kinda see why they don't do it any more.
From a business stand point it does make sense, even if a little erratic.
Hey wait a second.. What ending you had?
Nice idea, though I'll be honest: design is amateurish. And sadly there's no mold for Sam's head.
Sam and Max made me love Telltale games. But now, Telltale is all about picking a popular franchise and making a game out of it. Minecraft? Guardians of the Galaxy? Are they really "point and click adventure" material? I can't even call these games point and click adventure anymore. They removed the puzzle element and turned them into some kind of graphic novels. There is no thought process, you can't get stuck at a puzzle for hours and have the satisfaction of solving it after all the time you've spent. I can understand that Telltale just wants to leech money out of fans of the popular franchises, but their original fanbase are very upset. Atleast I am.
Just wanted to share my feelings about the future of Sam & Max, thanks.
To be honest only Sam & Max game where it is possible to get stuck for hours is Hit the Road. Puzzles were never very difficult in the Seasons 1-3 or in other TTG's point and click adventures. I would describe them more as point and click lite* with good narrative.
*Compared to the difficulty of the old LucasArts and Sierra adventures.
I agree. The puzzles in the TT series were easier on purpose since the series was treated as a casual game where one can finish an episode in a few hours. I don't have an issue with this I understand that TT did this so as not to have people stop playing (and buying the episodes) due to frustration.
While I like some of the TT Sam and Max episodes, they were missing something that the Lucas Arts game had and I don't mean a bigger budget. The humor was definitely not the same as Hit the Road. I think Day of the Tentacle feels more like a prequel to Hit the Road than the TT S&M series as a sequel to Hit the Road. I am not even sure if playing in the same environment worked well with the TT Sam and Max games as it did with other games such as Life is Strange. Then again, the TT Sam and Max series pioneered the episodic adventure games and didn't perfected it at the time
I think the problems with games like the TT Sam and Max series is that it is a sequel to a previous adventure game that was made in the '90s. Perhaps if this game was a new IP, people may rate this series higher.
At this point I think they'd do well to go the Psychonauts 2 route and do a FIG crowd-funding to gauge whether or not the demand is still there.
I'd invest in it.