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What has just happened? Telltale Independent Games Development Studio – perhaps best known for the famous adventure game franchise The Walking Dead (TWD) – would have laid off 90% of its staff, leaving behind a team of 25 people to complete the final . TWD season. All other projects were canceled and the dismissed employees would not have received severance pay.
If you're a hardcore PC player, chances are you've heard of Telltale.
Although the game development studio is best known for its work on the popular Walking Dead adventure series, longtime fans like me can remember their puzzle-centric adventure games such as those from the Sam & Max series.
Whether you like or hate the business game, it's hard to deny that they have appealed to a lot of people.
The revealing titles are generally well received, probably because of the many compelling stories and difficult choices that players face. The Wolf Among Us was a great example of this, and it's easily my favorite Telltale game to date.
However, it seems that the new narrative-based gameplay is beginning to lose its charm. The reports begin to surface and suggest that the independent studio is endangered; it's apparently fired 90 percent of its employees.
At the time of writing, Telltale would have only 25 developers on staff, whose only job is to finish the last season of The Walking Dead. For reference, the company had about 250 employees before these developments, after a first round of staff cuts in 2017.
All other projects in preparation, including the second season of The Wolf Among Us, have apparently been canceled. After the story of The Walking Dead, Telltale will close its doors. Worse, fired employees will not receive severance pay, according to USGamer.
If these reports are accurate, I admit that I am more than disappointed. As I have already said, I am primarily a fan of Telltale's old titles, but it's always a sad day when a long-running game development studio closes.
On the plus side, the industry's support to the now-unemployed developers of the company has been overwhelming. Companies like Zenimax, Massive, Starbreeze and Gearbox have all reach to these developers with job offers, or at least maintenance offers, expressing their condolences in the process.
Before concluding, it should be mentioned that these reports are just that: reports. Telltale has not confirmed them yet nor has it issued an official statement on this subject. As such, it may be wise to take this information with a grain of salt for the moment.
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