Valve, (i would presume) have a much larger task of making episodes of HL2 than telltale do with their episodes (not that im calling telltale lazy, Sam & max has much more creative genious) since large areas of episode 1 and 2 have been recoded from scratch. Ive played through HL2 episode 1 and thouroughly enjoyed it, episode 2 has probably been delayed so long because they started development of portal and team fortress 2 (both of which look awesome) about halfway through. Then again, the master of all that is good in gaming, Shigeru Miyamoto, said that a delayed game is eventually good but a rushed game is bad forever. Maybe valve are following that idea. Valve have thr right idea with episodes but Hl2 doesnt fit the format as it takes so long to make even episodic chunks of.
Anyway I would be very surprised if Sam & Max didnt meet sales targets or Telltale's expectations, all it took with me was the culture shock demo for me to sign up for season 1!
Anyway I would be very surprised if Sam & Max didnt meet sales targets or Telltale's expectations, all it took with me was the culture shock demo for me to sign up for season 1!
Same here, Valve has a different vision of episodic content. They are sure quite large, but they aren't too episodic as they come when ever Valve sees fit. I thin TF2 and Portal had begun development even before EP2, I don't think they were tied together before the announcement.
Valve doesn't know what the heck they're doing. I will let Telltale reply to your questions themselves.
While I wouldn't call the Half-Life episodes "episodic" either there's nothing really wrong with what Valve is doing. The quality of the first episode is reportedly very high. Everyone complains about the episodes getting delayed but Valve can get away with that because everyone still buys it, because it's Half-Life. A startup company dealing with a semi-obscure license has to meet their episodic schedule not just to prove themselves, but because they won't make their money back otherwise.
Not that I think Telltale is sacrificing quality for a timely release. They built their technology from the ground up with the intent of getting games out this quick, which is a first. Plus they're building entirely different products here. I imagine that by streamlining (and I mean the kind of streamlining that comes from experience, not necessarily cutting corners) the process enough it's more possible to put out a 4 hour graphic adventure in a month than a high-end shooter of comparable length in half a year.
Everything Valve is doing with their "episodic" format is wrong. Episodes are supposed to be released on specific dates, in specific intervals. What they're doing now is releasing small games every year or two and calling them episodes. That's not an episode, that's just a small game. I'm sure it's high quality, of course. Perhaps they should aim for releasing their episodes one year apart. If Half Life 2 is episodic, then Sam & Max would be something more like a show...... Or something.
How about Sin episodes? After one episode, the company was bought by a casual games company or something. Sin episodes became Sin episode. They didn't even have a proper press release about the fate of Sin. Now THAT is how episodic gaming should not be done.
I think Telltale are the first to have gotten it 100% right. They met deadlines, they didn't make the fans wait too long and they listened to what the consumers wanted.
Yes this season was very well executed. It would be fun to know the answer to your questions, peoples. However, I don't know if you're going to get an answer since it's kind of financial information ... and companies are usually quite privy with those.
Yeah, Telltale definately can't put up sales specifics. I think we can all agree, however, that this has been their most successful series. They've all been good in their own right, but haven't received nearly as much attention.
A while back there were some statistics that came as close to hard numbers as we'll get. They were at 60% of projected sales and already into profit for the whole season, even without counting the revenue from Gametap.
That was before episode 5 was released. And of course now that the season is complete there will be a small upsurge in sales, followed by a large upsurge when the retail version starts hitting the shelves. So I think we can rest assured that Telltale is making a lot of well-deserved profit out of Season 1.
Can't wait for season 2. I'll preorder the entire season as soon as that option is available.
As for season 1, can't wait for the CD. And if its released on Xbox 360, I will probably buy it again.
I haven't laughed as much lately as I did with this Sam & Max:Season 1. Pure joy from the start to end. Also the timing between was right and the length of the episodes.
You made a great game, feel free to take a little vacation
Comments
Anyway I would be very surprised if Sam & Max didnt meet sales targets or Telltale's expectations, all it took with me was the culture shock demo for me to sign up for season 1!
Same here, Valve has a different vision of episodic content. They are sure quite large, but they aren't too episodic as they come when ever Valve sees fit. I thin TF2 and Portal had begun development even before EP2, I don't think they were tied together before the announcement.
While I wouldn't call the Half-Life episodes "episodic" either there's nothing really wrong with what Valve is doing. The quality of the first episode is reportedly very high. Everyone complains about the episodes getting delayed but Valve can get away with that because everyone still buys it, because it's Half-Life. A startup company dealing with a semi-obscure license has to meet their episodic schedule not just to prove themselves, but because they won't make their money back otherwise.
Not that I think Telltale is sacrificing quality for a timely release. They built their technology from the ground up with the intent of getting games out this quick, which is a first. Plus they're building entirely different products here. I imagine that by streamlining (and I mean the kind of streamlining that comes from experience, not necessarily cutting corners) the process enough it's more possible to put out a 4 hour graphic adventure in a month than a high-end shooter of comparable length in half a year.
I think Telltale are the first to have gotten it 100% right. They met deadlines, they didn't make the fans wait too long and they listened to what the consumers wanted.
And yes, there will be a Season 2! We're already working on it.
Quite happy to hear that! Both that you are satisfied with the game, and that S2 is in the works.
I also hope that sales have met or exceeded expectations for this time period... and that they continue to do so for the life of this product.
That was before episode 5 was released. And of course now that the season is complete there will be a small upsurge in sales, followed by a large upsurge when the retail version starts hitting the shelves. So I think we can rest assured that Telltale is making a lot of well-deserved profit out of Season 1.
As for season 1, can't wait for the CD. And if its released on Xbox 360, I will probably buy it again.
It it is half-as good as the first one, I will buy it as well
You made a great game, feel free to take a little vacation
Hey, we've got a BONE to pick with you. You sad when S&M S1 was done....
Is S&M what it's going to take to get more Bone?
Ah well, is there an expected timetable for season 2? More/longer episodes?