Telltale Games isn’t back exactly as before. But, a pair of businessmen have relaunched the company’s name and some key IP.
Last September, Telltale Games laid off 250 employees without severance. A skeleton crew remained, but the studio went into assignment – an expedited kind of bankruptcy – shortly thereafter.
The Telltale Games name returns
Now, some of Telltale’s assets and its name have been acquired by LCG Entertainment. That company, under Telltale’s name, plans to bring some of Telltale’s games back to market and produce new games based on Telltale properties. The relaunched Telltale will partner with publisher Athlon Games for distribution.
Business partners James Ottilie and Brian Waddle will lead the new company. According to Polygon, Ottilie’s background is in licensed mobile games. Waddle has experience handling sales and marketing for the Havok game engine. In addition to the name, the pair have acquired the rights to create new games, using the Batman and The Wolf Among Us brands, and Telltale’s original IP.
The resurrected Telltale won’t be working with The Walking Dead and Stranger Things brands, however. Skybound acquired the zombie comic license after Telltale’s demise and completed the episodic series’ final season. The rights to the Duffer Brothers’ horror show, meanwhile, reverted to Netflix.
The future remains uncertain for other Telltale licensed products like Game of Thrones, Tales from the Borderlands, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Minecraft. (Though, Rhys and Vaughn, characters introduced in Tales from the Borderlands, are included in Gearbox’s upcoming Borderlands 3).
Many Telltale Games were delisted from digital storefronts months after the closure. So, the relaunch is good news for game preservationists and historians who will now be able to get a hold of some previously published TTG titles again.
However, the studio, as it existed before the closure, has not returned. Many former employees have moved on to new ventures. And, there doesn’t seem to be a space for them at the new Telltale, anyway. Not in stable jobs, anyway.
“Ottilie said that some workers from the original Telltale Games will be offered freelance roles, with full-time positions possible in the future,” Polygon reported.
