It came as a surprise when Telltale Games announced unexpectedly that they were planning to shut down the company after massive layoffs. This comes as an even bigger surprise at this point because one of their most sought out franchises. However, before everything goes into the past, we are gathered here and are looking back at everything that Telltale Games released for us and that we loved about the studio.
The Walking Dead’s final season was in development and its first two episodes have already been launched. The sudden announcement by them has left the fans in despair as no official word on the remaining two episodes has been released as of now.
The point-and-click mechanics featured in almost all Telltale Games were not favored by many around the world but who played these games for their mechanics. The real selling point in all Telltale Games was their highly involved and gripping storylines. The amazing story and its way of involving the player emotionally was the best selling point for all Telltale Games.
Telltale Games franchises were one of the few games out there that were heavily focused on player choices and the story would change dramatically based on the player choices. It could mean the life or death of in-game characters and could totally change the path in another direction. Each franchise had its own unique art style that really put the players in the mood.
As Telltale Games plans to shut down its operations, we are looking back at some of its greatest work that helped them make its own place in the gaming industry.
The Walking Dead Franchise
Probably the most famous Telltale Games franchise is The Walking Dead series. The first game, The Walking Dead: Season One, in the franchise came out in 2012 where players explored the world of The Walking Dead as Lee who was a criminal on his way to prison when disaster struck. He was forced to let go of the ways of his past and help Clementine, a little girl, survive in a world where neither living nor dead will let them live.
The second season, The Walking Dead: Season Two, followed the first game and picked the story where the first game ended with us playing as Clementine this time who is now alone and must strive to survive in the harsh world on her own. The third game, The Walking Dead: Michonne was a small three-episode mini-series set in the same world but followed a different character, Michonne.
The fourth entry in the title was The Walking Dead – A New Frontier in which we were introduced to yet another character Javier. We followed the stories of two characters in this game Javier and Clementine from the earlier seasons. The last game in the franchise is The Walking Dead: The Final Season, which was launched in August 2018.
Currently, two episodes of the finale have been launched but the game has now been cancelled. It is a shame that the final season of the game had to be left in the middle, as we will never get to see the end of Clementine’s journey.
Batman
Telltale released a Batman game, Batman – The Telltale Series, in their Telltale style storytelling and game mechanics in 2016. It was also a very good game and it showed us both sides of Bruce Wayne’s life as a superhero and as a vulnerable human being. The game was set in its own unique visual style that really delivered the true feeling of Gotham.
A second game in the franchise, Batman: The Enemy Within was launched in 2017, which picked up the story right from the point where the first game ended. It was also a great addition to the franchise and we highly recommend that if you played the first game, the second game will also not disappoint you.
Batman Telltale series followed the same traditional Telltale Games storytelling with the story changing based on player choices. It is yet another title that will not get a sequel since the developer’s closure.
The Wolf Among Us
The Wolf Among Us is probably the most unique game from Telltale Games’ studio. The game was launched in 2013 and it is playing as the Big Bad Wolf from the world of Fairy Tales. The game featured many different characters from the Fairy Tales who had to run from their own world and were now living in human forms in the human world.
The game had a very dark and gritty environment as it showed the fables going through normal human problems as they struggled to keep roofs on their head, food on their table, and survive as evil fables also made out of the Fable World alive. It is probably one of the must-play titles in the Telltale Games lineup. The gameplay and visuals are not as polished as some of their modern titles but it is still one enjoyable title.
A sequel to The Wolf Among Us was planned for 2019 but it has now been canceled among all future projects of Telltale Games.
Game of Thrones
Telltale’s take on Game of Thrones was equally brutal and surprising. It showed some never seen before characters trying to survive in the ever-changing world of Game of Thrones. We played as different characters in the game who were all trying their best to come out of different problems facing them.
The game design was exceptional and it let us visit some of our favorite places from the TV show as we had never before. The story of all characters was excellent and how they changed dramatically after every scene held us glued to the screen so we could find out what would happen next. Another solid title that will never see a sequel.
Tales From Borderlands
Telltale Games even gave Borderlands a Telltale treatment and it turned out to be a very decent game. The game was action-packed and showed us the world of Borderlands as we had never seen it before. We traveled to many different locations on Pandora and followed the story of two different characters who were later united into one awesome story.
We get to see many things in this Telltale adaptation of Pandora such as the Hyperion Corporation, bandits, Vault Hunters, Atlas tech, giant monsters, and small vermin scurrying across Pandora. This was a great adventure through Pandora and we recommend that all fans of Borderlands franchise try this game out.
Minecraft: Story Mode
Telltale Games even got its hands on one of the biggest gaming phenomena of its time, Minecraft. The main focus was Minecraft: Story Mode and two Seasons were released in this franchise, Season One and Season Two. We follow Jesse and his friends on their quest to eradicate the evil of Wither Storm and save the world.
The second title focuses more on their personal lives who are now living as superheroes and friendships are falling in jeopardy. Among all the chaos, Jesse plans to go on a new journey, which is again full of choices, fun, humor, and a great story. Once again, we will recommend people, especially the fans of Minecraft to experience this unique take on Minecraft.
Whether it was the grim and dark environment of The Walking Dead or the bright and colorful world of Borderlands, every game showed us a different side of each world and we are thankful to Telltale Games for good memories. We wish the team the best of luck in their future endeavors.
Apart from these games, Telltale Games also took on many other franchises such as Jurassic Park, Guardians of the Galaxy, Sam and Max, and Back to the Future. All of these games also featured traditional Telltale storytelling and unique art style.
At this point, all future projects by Telltale Games stand canceled with no hope of revival. The Wolf Among Us Season 2 was planned for 2019 but the main shocker comes that The Walking Dead: Final Season was in full swing with two episodes already out with the last two planned for later this year. It has also been canceled according to reports currently pouring out.
No one knows at this point about why Telltale Games made this sudden decision but we wish them good luck for their future endeavors. Currently, their studio has dropped to the last 25 employees who will complete their last commitment of Minecraft with Netflix, and then the studio will shut down its doors completely.
Related: Telltale Games Hints Potential Partners Interested in Completing Walking Dead Series
