Interesting Telltale article - More games coming at once/quicker, other info about past and future
Blind Sniper
Moderator
http://www.kotaku.com.au/2016/03/the-future-of-telltale-games/
Telltale just retweeted an article from Kotaku that talks about Telltale's future, and they talk about a few neat things like Batman, quicker releases, and additionally hints that Telltale spent a lot of time last year revising their process so we can get quicker episodes as well as more series at once from having sized up to around 350 people. It talks about Telltale's history and a lot of other interesting things (such as the implication that not only Batman but also Marvel were the result of Telltale's success from Wolf Among Us), but I'm going to quote some interesting bits that hint at some neat things:
Telltale confirms they are working on around four games at once, quicker episode releases
With every new Telltale game announcement comes a sense of surprise from fans. Typically because it always seems like they are working on so many things at once. Their slate currently includes Minecraft: Story Mode, Walking Dead: Michonne, Batman, Marvel, Game Of Thrones Season Two and Walking Dead Season Three. Plus whatever unannounced projects they have up their sleeves. “We’ve basically built the studio to handle up to four Telltale series at the same time, with a little extra for special projects. The productions are staggered so each project is in a different stage at any time. Pretty much everyone here ends up working on every project at some point, so our biggest challenge is coordinating how the projects are flowing through the studio. Last year we really put so much work into that aspect of the studio, and I think you’ll see that pay off with this year’s line up.”
[...]
Telltale Games in 2016 and beyond looks more exciting than ever before. This studio is now in the position to take more risks in game storytelling and take on bigger and bolder projects that will hopefully break a lot more new ground. “2015 was a very, very busy year at Telltale”, Bruner says. “When we started the studio in 2004, I don’t think we imagined it would grow to [more than] three hundred people. It’s been a steady march to get here. I spent a lot of time last year working working hard at transforming ourselves from a small studio to the “big version” of Telltale we have now. I’ve examined every part of the studio with a focus on getting really great episodes out on a very reliable schedule. For instance, we saw some really long gaps between episodes last year, but we also saw Minecraft come out at the best cadence we’ve ever achieved. I think both of those things were a result of us re-examining the way we produce content.”
Batman
More people than ever before will be interested in seeing what this team produces with these two universes. Bruner is taking it step by step. “Our Batman series is looking fantastic. I think it might become one of the best things we’ve ever done. I can’t go into much detail, but the Batman team is amazing and they are really on top of it. It’s not like any other Batman game out there. This game really explores all aspects of Batman, not just the the “fighting in the suit” side of him. There’s a lot of subplots to explore and some really amazing choices that have a big impact on the story being told. I really think it might be the peak of the mountain for us so far.”
Comments
SEASON THREE OF TWD IS COMING!
I COULD SCREAM!!!!
Neat article, here's some parts I founded interesting.
Um, yeah, it was confirmed as far back as July 2014.
But now it is approaching us like a high powered Foxy!
Love the article. It hyped me up for the Batman game.
GOT season 2 & TWD season 3 . That's great and all but still no news Of the Wolf Among Us Season 2. And at this point I am sick of Batman .
It's too early for The Wolf Among Us Season Two. They only signed rights for one season (as they signed the deal with DC, which also only allowed rights for one season for Batman too - so don't worry about Batman, if they make a season two of that one, they'll have to take several years to make a new contract too).
Signing rights for a new season can take several years alone (since they have to have terms that all parties will agree to - which in the case of The Wolf Among Us is DC/Vertigo and Telltale), and then they have to enter pre-production on the season, which can take a year or more on its own.
The good news is that The Wolf Among Us sold really well - it's their third best selling series on Steam according to SteamSpy, only behind the two seasons of The Walking Dead and the Poker Night series. Plus, Bill Willingham has stated that he really liked Telltale's adaptation and would be open to a second season (although he stated that, oddly enough, he's not part of the negotiations for adaptations for Fables, so the situation is a bit of a stickier wicket than simply that - DC is the party that would have to want Telltale to do another video game adaptation of Fables).
Batman selling well and doing well probably will have a lot to do with the future of The Wolf Among Us as well, as both are licensed by DC (and Telltale getting Batman actually was due to them doing well commercially and critically with The Wolf Among Us). Since Batman was only signed for one season, it's very possible that Telltale would go back to The Wolf Among Us, if they want to continue making games based on DC properties, after Batman concludes, since they'd have to go through the multi-year process of getting a new contract to do another Batman game. And, DC would be more willing to sign a contract for a second season of The Wolf Among Us if Telltale had two DC based properties that were well received and sold well. So, Batman doing well would almost certainly bide well for fans of The Wolf Among Us.