So it looks like the people they've hired/contracted are mostly "artists, engineers, and QA folks that are former Telltale." Hopefully some of the original story folk get brought on as well. Interestingly enough, it seems like there were multiple bids for the Telltale name. I wonder who else wanted it.
Ottilie and his team are also aware that fans are hungry for Tales from the Borderlands and Minecraft Story Mode to return to sale. He suggests we stay tuned for more info on those properties.
It also looks like they're trying to get Minecraft: Storymode and Tales from the Borderlands back on stores.
K so the new CEO(s) have mentioned that they're committed to making Telltale staff up slowly, and have a 'healthy, non-crunch culture'.
https://gamedaily.biz/article/1178/telltale-games-20-is-committed-to-a-healthy-non-crunch-culture
Good article!
So it looks like the people they've hired/contracted are mostly "artists, engineers, and QA folks that are former Telltale.… more" Hopefully some of the original story folk get brought on as well. Interestingly enough, it seems like there were multiple bids for the Telltale name. I wonder who else wanted it.
Ottilie and his team are also aware that fans are hungry for Tales from the Borderlands and Minecraft Story Mode to return to sale. He suggests we stay tuned for more info on those properties.
It also looks like they're trying to get Minecraft: Storymode and Tales from the Borderlands back on stores.
I'm slowly drifting towards console myself as hardware gets more and more beefier for my pathetic laptop so its not a huge blow just gonna suck once they move away from current gen and into next.
True, but if it keeps Telltale afloat... I wouldn't mind it... (said the console player to the PC players)
I remember reading that Night … moreSchool's EGS deal helped them keep their doors open and complete Afterparty. But hopefully it won't be every release.
Part of me wonders what would happen if the Ad Hoc team were to be rehired under Telltale now that they are working towards better management/less crunch/etc.
I don't think they're looking to go back to Telltale right now. They just parted ways and made their own studio, so... Eh.
I don't really blame any ex-Telltaleians if they don't want to return, even if it's under new management that sounds like it knows what it's doing.
While Telltale was improving in quality and creative work in its final year, the time before that was probably something many people want to forget.
Part of me wonders what would happen if the Ad Hoc team were to be rehired under Telltale now that they are working towards better management/less crunch/etc.
I was thinking the same, I would really want them under this new Telltale's belt but I dont see it happening seeing how they haven't even announced their first game yet (unless that actually just boost their chances of joining New Telltale)
Part of me wonders what would happen if the Ad Hoc team were to be rehired under Telltale now that they are working towards better management/less crunch/etc.
Yeah, some of the older team's members already found new jobs.
Personally, I doubt they'd risk their new found stability by going back to Telltale considering what happened last time...
I was thinking the same, I would really want them under this new Telltale's belt but I dont see it happening seeing how they haven't even announced their first game yet (unless that actually just boost their chances of joining New Telltale)
Yup I agree there. Season 4 was on the right track at the start but it fell apart for me with its gameplay part. For example in episode 1, s… moreneaking around the school at night felt so good because it actually makes you walk the entire way, and then later eps just "poof" youre there. Built up way more atmosphere especially once you stepped outside. Felt like you had a real place in the world instead of the constant jumping.
Best I can hope for is that they don't get in over their heads this time and fuck up the company by trying to make a billion games at once with horrible crunch times. They claim they won't so that's got me optimistic.
"Following negations with Sherwood Partners starting in February 2019, LCG Entertainment acquired several key Telltale assets..."
So there you go. LCG decided last February to buy some Telltale assets. It doesn't say if LCG was gung-ho and begged Sherwood for a chance, or if Sherwood was beating down everyone's door hoping to find someone who would pay something for Telltale's intellectual property, or something in between, but apparently it wasn't a bankruptcy auction.
Telltale actually went through assignment, which is a legal process in California that allows a company to stay afloat while it changes hands, rather than going through bankruptcy.
Telltale remained with a tiny staff of original employees. These employees were present to ease things during the assignment period, along with staff from LCG Entertainment, such as the web staff that handled the website transition. LCG Entertainment's web staff even fixed some things from the Telltale site before they underwent assignment, such as the security errors.
Basically, because of assignment, Telltale was never actually dead. Think of it as on life support until the assignment process was completed.
Y'know I don't really get some of the outrage I'm seeing from some people about the whole 'not re-hiring all of the old staff' thing. Yeah it's shit, but if the new owners don't want to crumble the company like the last owners did MAYBE it's best NOT to hire 400 people that were working there out of their means anyway (and who the last owners couldn't even afford). It's not economically viable or sustainable so I can understand the decision. Gotta start small and think smart this time if they want to save the Telltale formula and not go bankrupt.
I’ve tried to avoid commenting on this but the negativity is bothering me - as someone who has worked with the new ceo during a product release I can assure you - both the community and the employees are always well cared for. If there was a crunch, it was at most 1-2 hours of OT and only for the required personnel - usually just in the last week or two. We were well fed and everyone was like a family having dinner together. Compared to other game companies I’ve worked at where EVERYONE was required to work 4 hours OT, even people with nothing to do, the salary / game devs basically lived in their office for months at a time. And if I ever eat another Papa Johns pizza alone at my desk.... Well anyway, first hand account that what Mr. Ottilie said is true.
It really sucks seeing how many people trying to turn this into a negative thing for seemingly no reason other than attention. I and many other people here have been reading articles and interviews of you guys and we can already tell the direction you guys are going is 100% the right direction, it just really sucks so much misinformation is out there. Im sure itll all work out and we're all very excited to see you guys grow into a successful company!
I’ve tried to avoid commenting on this but the negativity is bothering me - as someone who has worked with the new ceo during a product rele… morease I can assure you - both the community and the employees are always well cared for. If there was a crunch, it was at most 1-2 hours of OT and only for the required personnel - usually just in the last week or two. We were well fed and everyone was like a family having dinner together. Compared to other game companies I’ve worked at where EVERYONE was required to work 4 hours OT, even people with nothing to do, the salary / game devs basically lived in their office for months at a time. And if I ever eat another Papa Johns pizza alone at my desk.... Well anyway, first hand account that what Mr. Ottilie said is true.
I’ve tried to avoid commenting on this but the negativity is bothering me - as someone who has worked with the new ceo during a product rele… morease I can assure you - both the community and the employees are always well cared for. If there was a crunch, it was at most 1-2 hours of OT and only for the required personnel - usually just in the last week or two. We were well fed and everyone was like a family having dinner together. Compared to other game companies I’ve worked at where EVERYONE was required to work 4 hours OT, even people with nothing to do, the salary / game devs basically lived in their office for months at a time. And if I ever eat another Papa Johns pizza alone at my desk.... Well anyway, first hand account that what Mr. Ottilie said is true.
Hey, it’s normal and I get that. We will certainly do our best - each and every one of us cares deeply about this project and are happy to be a part of it. And the passion of the fans drives us everyday to succeed.
Good luck on the endeavor, obviously I can't help but be a bit wary, but so far to me the setup's is looking good, so I'll be looking forward to how it all goes.
I’ve tried to avoid commenting on this but the negativity is bothering me - as someone who has worked with the new ceo during a product rele… morease I can assure you - both the community and the employees are always well cared for. If there was a crunch, it was at most 1-2 hours of OT and only for the required personnel - usually just in the last week or two. We were well fed and everyone was like a family having dinner together. Compared to other game companies I’ve worked at where EVERYONE was required to work 4 hours OT, even people with nothing to do, the salary / game devs basically lived in their office for months at a time. And if I ever eat another Papa Johns pizza alone at my desk.... Well anyway, first hand account that what Mr. Ottilie said is true.
yeah, the constant misinformation and bitterness is really getting difficult to read. jsyk, we don't all feel that way; just look at some of the posts on here and you'll see that. on my part, i'm cautiously optimistic. as long as you guys treat your employees well (which it sounds like you are) and you put the effort into making good games, i don't see a problem here. just keep trying and keep in mind that the opinions of some very, VERY loud people don't reflect the feelings of the entire fanbase.
i'm gonna be straight up honest with you, telltale's closing depressed the hell out of me for a good year. hearing yesterday's news easily made up for that entire year in only a few short hours. i have faith that you guys are gonna do the right thing and so do so many others on here. stay strong!
I’ve tried to avoid commenting on this but the negativity is bothering me - as someone who has worked with the new ceo during a product rele… morease I can assure you - both the community and the employees are always well cared for. If there was a crunch, it was at most 1-2 hours of OT and only for the required personnel - usually just in the last week or two. We were well fed and everyone was like a family having dinner together. Compared to other game companies I’ve worked at where EVERYONE was required to work 4 hours OT, even people with nothing to do, the salary / game devs basically lived in their office for months at a time. And if I ever eat another Papa Johns pizza alone at my desk.... Well anyway, first hand account that what Mr. Ottilie said is true.
I want you and Ottilie to be right, I really do. But this corporate America we're talking about. Even the most altruistic and pure get twisted and broken eventually.
I’ve tried to avoid commenting on this but the negativity is bothering me - as someone who has worked with the new ceo during a product rele… morease I can assure you - both the community and the employees are always well cared for. If there was a crunch, it was at most 1-2 hours of OT and only for the required personnel - usually just in the last week or two. We were well fed and everyone was like a family having dinner together. Compared to other game companies I’ve worked at where EVERYONE was required to work 4 hours OT, even people with nothing to do, the salary / game devs basically lived in their office for months at a time. And if I ever eat another Papa Johns pizza alone at my desk.... Well anyway, first hand account that what Mr. Ottilie said is true.
I can relate to pretty much all sides of this. Former employees were treated badly, are still sore about it, and this doesn't fix it. The new company in charge wants things to work but hasn't yet had a chance to demonstrate that it can with the resources it has, so people are skeptical. End users who just want to play games and don't follow corporate acquisition news are likely to be confused and maybe frustrated in the coming months.
Still, the best path forward is to give the new team a chance and hope we get some good games out of it. Better than the alternative! So let's wait and see what exciting things can come out of this!
I can relate to pretty much all sides of this. Former employees were treated badly, are still sore about it, and this doesn't fix it. The … morenew company in charge wants things to work but hasn't yet had a chance to demonstrate that it can with the resources it has, so people are skeptical. End users who just want to play games and don't follow corporate acquisition news are likely to be confused and maybe frustrated in the coming months.
Still, the best path forward is to give the new team a chance and hope we get some good games out of it. Better than the alternative! So let's wait and see what exciting things can come out of this!
Comments
Good article!
So it looks like the people they've hired/contracted are mostly "artists, engineers, and QA folks that are former Telltale." Hopefully some of the original story folk get brought on as well. Interestingly enough, it seems like there were multiple bids for the Telltale name. I wonder who else wanted it.
It also looks like they're trying to get Minecraft: Storymode and Tales from the Borderlands back on stores.
iirc Gearbox said they plan on getting Tales back on stores, pretty sure they are the ones who are gonna actually be in charge of that.
Locked behind epic store on PC incoming...
Sounds likely if Gearbox are the ones handling it. But it's better than nothing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Sadly Im pretty sure all future Telltale games will be EGS only.
the truth that no one wants to hear :kennysad:
True, but if it keeps Telltale afloat... I wouldn't mind it... (said the console player to the PC players)
I remember reading that Night School's EGS deal helped them keep their doors open and complete Afterparty. But hopefully it won't be every release.
I'm slowly drifting towards console myself as hardware gets more and more beefier for my pathetic laptop so its not a huge blow just gonna suck once they move away from current gen and into next.
That's fine by me ✌ Skybound can have TWD. Batman and TWAU are the only games I'm invested in besides TFTBL , which I'm sure Gearbox can handle.
Part of me wonders what would happen if the Ad Hoc team were to be rehired under Telltale now that they are working towards better management/less crunch/etc.
Yeah, TWD has been done to death. I'll be happy with TWAU & Game of Thrones (mostly because of that cliffhanger).
I don't think they're looking to go back to Telltale right now. They just parted ways and made their own studio, so... Eh.
I don't really blame any ex-Telltaleians if they don't want to return, even if it's under new management that sounds like it knows what it's doing.
While Telltale was improving in quality and creative work in its final year, the time before that was probably something many people want to forget.
I was thinking the same, I would really want them under this new Telltale's belt but I dont see it happening seeing how they haven't even announced their first game yet (unless that actually just boost their chances of joining New Telltale)
Jesus. Goddamn. Christ.
Well... I have some very mixed feelings on this.
Maybe I've just been binge-watching too many Jimquisitions and I'm paranoid. God I hope that Ottille is honest in that Game Daily article.
Yeah, some of the older team's members already found new jobs.
Personally, I doubt they'd risk their new found stability by going back to Telltale considering what happened last time...
When the lawsuit goes through succesfully
Honestly, just copy Season 1. That had the perfect balance. But also add in over-the-shoulder camera and rewind.
How the fuck do you even buy a dead company. Like seriously how would that work? Genuinely interested.
I guess they just bought the building of the studio.
They simply bought the brand (the name) and as much of the assets (ip's, technology etc) as possible.
Well yes I understand that part, but from who? Who did they buy it from?
Im sooo shocked skybound games still hasn't released what they promised
Dodged the bullet bois
Seeing a possible revival of Telltalle and many even returning to this forum is eye opening, but at the same time im a bit pessimistic.
Best I can hope for is that they don't get in over their heads this time and fuck up the company by trying to make a billion games at once with horrible crunch times. They claim they won't so that's got me optimistic.
Glad to see people still race to update Wikipedia on news like this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telltale_Games#Relaunch_under_LCG_Entertainment_(2019%E2%80%93present)
"Following negations with Sherwood Partners starting in February 2019, LCG Entertainment acquired several key Telltale assets..."
So there you go. LCG decided last February to buy some Telltale assets. It doesn't say if LCG was gung-ho and begged Sherwood for a chance, or if Sherwood was beating down everyone's door hoping to find someone who would pay something for Telltale's intellectual property, or something in between, but apparently it wasn't a bankruptcy auction.
Telltale actually went through assignment, which is a legal process in California that allows a company to stay afloat while it changes hands, rather than going through bankruptcy.
Telltale remained with a tiny staff of original employees. These employees were present to ease things during the assignment period, along with staff from LCG Entertainment, such as the web staff that handled the website transition. LCG Entertainment's web staff even fixed some things from the Telltale site before they underwent assignment, such as the security errors.
Basically, because of assignment, Telltale was never actually dead. Think of it as on life support until the assignment process was completed.
Y'know I don't really get some of the outrage I'm seeing from some people about the whole 'not re-hiring all of the old staff' thing. Yeah it's shit, but if the new owners don't want to crumble the company like the last owners did MAYBE it's best NOT to hire 400 people that were working there out of their means anyway (and who the last owners couldn't even afford). It's not economically viable or sustainable so I can understand the decision. Gotta start small and think smart this time if they want to save the Telltale formula and not go bankrupt.
I’ve tried to avoid commenting on this but the negativity is bothering me - as someone who has worked with the new ceo during a product release I can assure you - both the community and the employees are always well cared for. If there was a crunch, it was at most 1-2 hours of OT and only for the required personnel - usually just in the last week or two. We were well fed and everyone was like a family having dinner together. Compared to other game companies I’ve worked at where EVERYONE was required to work 4 hours OT, even people with nothing to do, the salary / game devs basically lived in their office for months at a time. And if I ever eat another Papa Johns pizza alone at my desk.... Well anyway, first hand account that what Mr. Ottilie said is true.
It really sucks seeing how many people trying to turn this into a negative thing for seemingly no reason other than attention. I and many other people here have been reading articles and interviews of you guys and we can already tell the direction you guys are going is 100% the right direction, it just really sucks so much misinformation is out there. Im sure itll all work out and we're all very excited to see you guys grow into a successful company!
Yeah it sucks but try not to let it get to you. There seems to be a lot of misinformation going around. Prove the sceptics and naysayers wrong!
Hey, it’s normal and I get that. We will certainly do our best - each and every one of us cares deeply about this project and are happy to be a part of it. And the passion of the fans drives us everyday to succeed.
Good luck on the endeavor, obviously I can't help but be a bit wary, but so far to me the setup's is looking good, so I'll be looking forward to how it all goes.
yeah, the constant misinformation and bitterness is really getting difficult to read. jsyk, we don't all feel that way; just look at some of the posts on here and you'll see that. on my part, i'm cautiously optimistic. as long as you guys treat your employees well (which it sounds like you are) and you put the effort into making good games, i don't see a problem here. just keep trying and keep in mind that the opinions of some very, VERY loud people don't reflect the feelings of the entire fanbase.
i'm gonna be straight up honest with you, telltale's closing depressed the hell out of me for a good year. hearing yesterday's news easily made up for that entire year in only a few short hours. i have faith that you guys are gonna do the right thing and so do so many others on here. stay strong!
I'm not trying to be negative, just skeptical as hell. Corporate structure does not lend itself well to anything other than profit motives, regardless of who's in upper management so long as there's investors and/or shareholders (and given that Game Daily article mentions relying on "funders" back in November... yikes).
I want you and Ottilie to be right, I really do. But this corporate America we're talking about. Even the most altruistic and pure get twisted and broken eventually.
who asked for this
What'd you mean?
I do say what is this? 🧐
I can relate to pretty much all sides of this. Former employees were treated badly, are still sore about it, and this doesn't fix it. The new company in charge wants things to work but hasn't yet had a chance to demonstrate that it can with the resources it has, so people are skeptical. End users who just want to play games and don't follow corporate acquisition news are likely to be confused and maybe frustrated in the coming months.
Still, the best path forward is to give the new team a chance and hope we get some good games out of it. Better than the alternative! So let's wait and see what exciting things can come out of this!
This is true. 1 problem though:
Yo.......... Am I dreaming?