Telltale Games is back: after a highly public studio closure and questionable treatment of the company's staff – 90% of which were sacked without warning or severance – it looks like the interactive video game publisher will be getting back into the business of making and shipping Telltale games.
As reported by Business Wire, Telltale's resurrection is due to a number of industry executives deciding to purchase the studio, with the rights to Telltale's key assets, trademarks, technology, and select intellectual properties."
The re-opened studio will be looking to re-release "select games from the studio’s back catalog," alongside new titles based on Telltale's "bestselling brands."
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What games will the new Telltale release?
Telltale's name has become synonymous with interactive fiction, usually working with high-profile franchises like The Walking Dead or DC's Batman. However, the licenses for The Walking Dead series, as well as the unfinished Stranger Things tie-in game, have since reverted back to its original owners, meaning it's unlikely we'll see new games in these franchises ship under the Telltale name.
Others, like Guardians of the Galaxy, Sam & Max, or Tales from the Borderlands could be re-issued in bundles of back catalogue titles – with the last of the three seeming ripe for future titles with a Borderlands 3 game about to launch.
Publisher Skybound now holds the rights to preexisting The Walking Dead games, with The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series – which includes previously unreleased episodes releasing on September 10 for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.
We expect the Telltale series is coming to an end there – and given the studio's unceremonious closure, future licensing for Telltale may be harder than it was before, despite its new management.
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Via Polygon