Telltale Games has let go of 90 staff members, about 25 percent of its total workforce, as GamesIndustry.biz first reported. The game publisher and studio is famous for its episodic, story-focused games based on hit franchises like The Walking Dead, Batman, and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Telltale is hoping that the restructuring will make it the company more competitive, and it promises that the layoffs will not impact announced projects which include second seasons for The Wolf Among Us and Game of Thrones. We’ve reached out to Telltale for comment and will update this story if they respond.
The studio appeared in 2004 and released its first game, Telltale Texas Hold’em, in 2005. It revived beloved LucasArts adventure series like Sam & Max and Tales of Monkey Island and worked on other licenses as well: Back to the Future, CSI, Law & Order, and Jurassic Park. It made it big with the first season of The Walking Dead. That 2012 episodic game series received acclaim from fans and critics. Its success opened the way for more licensed projects, including other gaming properties like Borderlands and Minecraft. The collaboration with name brands helped make Telltale successful.
Telltale had four episodic series active in 2017: The Walking Dead, Minecraft: Story Mode, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Batman.
“Our industry has shifted in tremendous ways over the past few years,” said Telltale Games chief executive officer Pete Hawley in a statement shared by GamesIndustry.biz. “The realities of the environment we face moving forward demand we evolve, as well, reorienting our organization with a focus on delivering fewer, better games with a smaller team.”
