Telltale Games Kicks Off New Game Pilot Program to Foster Innovation
TelltaleGames
Former Telltale Staff
First look and pre-order for inaugural Puzzle Agent pilot now online at http://www.puzzleagent.com
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – May 5, 2010 – Telltale Games, the leading independent digital publisher and developer of episodic interactive entertainment, announced today the creation of their new Pilot Program. With this program, Telltale can bring creative and innovative ideas to market more quickly through game “pilots,” similar to the entertainment industry’s television pilots. Through this program Telltale’s internal studios will explore new video game concepts, content and play patterns to complement the publisher’s current episodic projects. Successful pilots will be considered for migration to the company’s highly successful episodic gaming model.
“The Pilot Program is an excellent way to expand the boundaries of interactive entertainment and gaming by bringing audiences unique and interesting content they might not see otherwise,” said Telltale CEO, Dan Connors. “Our internal teams are filled with incredibly talented and creative people, and the Pilot Program will foster the exploration of ideas that will help us evolve Telltale’s product offerings.”
The first title in Telltale’s Pilot Program is Puzzle Agent. The title combines accessible Professor Layton-inspired puzzling with generous doses of Nordic folklore, enigmatic gnomes, and dark David Lynch and Coen brothers sensibilities. Puzzle Agent releases in June on PC, Apple Macintosh, iPhone/iPod touch, iPad and Nintendo Wii.
Telltale is creating Puzzle Agent in partnership with Graham Annable, the company’s first art director at the time of its founding. Players take on the role of Nelson Tethers, the lead (and only) agent in the US Department of Puzzle Investigation, sent on a rare field assignment to Scoggins, Minnesota to investigate why output at the town’s eraser factory has come to a screeching halt. The title combines brainteasers that include mazes, puzzles, logic and riddles, intertwined with an engrossing, twisted mystery story – all presented with Graham’s unique narrative and visual sensibilities and the distinctive Telltale style.
“It’s been great re-uniting with Telltale,” comments Annable. “It’s amazing to see how they’ve faithfully captured my art style and mood in the game. Working with the team to bring Nelson Tethers and Puzzle Agent to life has been amazing. Combining the original story and characters with one of my favorite gameplay styles is like a dream come true.”
Puzzle Agent pre-orders for PC and Mac are now available at http://www.puzzleagent.com for $9.95. All who pre-order will receive a coupon for 50% off any products in the Telltale Games store, including merchandise like Graham Annable’s new Book of Grickle from Dark Horse Comics, the full season of Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse, and more. Full pre-order details are available on the Puzzle Agent website. Purchase options for additional platforms will be available in the near future.
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***Screens, art and video available at http://vip.telltalegames.com
***First look trailer available at http://www.puzzleagent.com
About Graham Annable
Classically trained animator Graham Annable has built impressive credentials in film, television, video games and indie comics. He has for years spent his free time creating some of the funniest, most poignant comics and cartoons anywhere. His fluid art pulses with life and character. Alternately poetic and hilarious, Graham’s work presents a strange twist on the everyday with heart and humor.
Graham has contributed to projects with George Lucas, Chuck Jones, Nickelodeon, Telltale Games, Jeff Smith and Henry Selick’s teams, most recently through his work as storyboard artist on the Coraline theatrical feature. His indie Grickle Channel on YouTube was recently a home page Featured Video, ultimately driving over 1 million views. Graham’s Grickle was named one of Wizard's Top 25 indie books everyone must read and selected for Houghton-Mifflin's 2008 edition of Best American Comics.
About Telltale, Inc.
Telltale is a leading independent digital publisher of interactive stories playable on every major gaming platform. Telltale is also the pioneer of episodic delivery of content, developing games as series, and successfully releasing on a schedule to create a longer consumer engagement for each release. Founded in 2004 by LucasArts veterans with decades of experience, Telltale has quickly become an industry leader, establishing the model for downloadable game seasons and releasing more than 30 games to date. Telltale’s reputation for quality has been established across more than 25 published releases that have cumulatively earned an average Metacritic score above 80%. Telltale's titles have won numerous awards including, "Adventure Game of the Year" accolades from publications such as IGN, PC Gamer, GameSpy, and Adventure Gamers, and have been recognized by mainstream outlets ranging from USA Today, to The New York Times to Variety. Telltale currently develops and publishes episodic series on PlayStation(R) 3, PC, Mac, Wii (TM), Xbox 360 (TM), iPhone/iPod Touch, and iPad.
CONTACTS:
Telltale Games PR
(415) 258-1638 ext. 501
pr@telltalegames.com
Alex Brewer
HighWater Group
(212) 338-0077 ext. 1023
Alex@highwatergroup.com
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – May 5, 2010 – Telltale Games, the leading independent digital publisher and developer of episodic interactive entertainment, announced today the creation of their new Pilot Program. With this program, Telltale can bring creative and innovative ideas to market more quickly through game “pilots,” similar to the entertainment industry’s television pilots. Through this program Telltale’s internal studios will explore new video game concepts, content and play patterns to complement the publisher’s current episodic projects. Successful pilots will be considered for migration to the company’s highly successful episodic gaming model.
“The Pilot Program is an excellent way to expand the boundaries of interactive entertainment and gaming by bringing audiences unique and interesting content they might not see otherwise,” said Telltale CEO, Dan Connors. “Our internal teams are filled with incredibly talented and creative people, and the Pilot Program will foster the exploration of ideas that will help us evolve Telltale’s product offerings.”
The first title in Telltale’s Pilot Program is Puzzle Agent. The title combines accessible Professor Layton-inspired puzzling with generous doses of Nordic folklore, enigmatic gnomes, and dark David Lynch and Coen brothers sensibilities. Puzzle Agent releases in June on PC, Apple Macintosh, iPhone/iPod touch, iPad and Nintendo Wii.
Telltale is creating Puzzle Agent in partnership with Graham Annable, the company’s first art director at the time of its founding. Players take on the role of Nelson Tethers, the lead (and only) agent in the US Department of Puzzle Investigation, sent on a rare field assignment to Scoggins, Minnesota to investigate why output at the town’s eraser factory has come to a screeching halt. The title combines brainteasers that include mazes, puzzles, logic and riddles, intertwined with an engrossing, twisted mystery story – all presented with Graham’s unique narrative and visual sensibilities and the distinctive Telltale style.
“It’s been great re-uniting with Telltale,” comments Annable. “It’s amazing to see how they’ve faithfully captured my art style and mood in the game. Working with the team to bring Nelson Tethers and Puzzle Agent to life has been amazing. Combining the original story and characters with one of my favorite gameplay styles is like a dream come true.”
Puzzle Agent pre-orders for PC and Mac are now available at http://www.puzzleagent.com for $9.95. All who pre-order will receive a coupon for 50% off any products in the Telltale Games store, including merchandise like Graham Annable’s new Book of Grickle from Dark Horse Comics, the full season of Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse, and more. Full pre-order details are available on the Puzzle Agent website. Purchase options for additional platforms will be available in the near future.
###
***Screens, art and video available at http://vip.telltalegames.com
***First look trailer available at http://www.puzzleagent.com
About Graham Annable
Classically trained animator Graham Annable has built impressive credentials in film, television, video games and indie comics. He has for years spent his free time creating some of the funniest, most poignant comics and cartoons anywhere. His fluid art pulses with life and character. Alternately poetic and hilarious, Graham’s work presents a strange twist on the everyday with heart and humor.
Graham has contributed to projects with George Lucas, Chuck Jones, Nickelodeon, Telltale Games, Jeff Smith and Henry Selick’s teams, most recently through his work as storyboard artist on the Coraline theatrical feature. His indie Grickle Channel on YouTube was recently a home page Featured Video, ultimately driving over 1 million views. Graham’s Grickle was named one of Wizard's Top 25 indie books everyone must read and selected for Houghton-Mifflin's 2008 edition of Best American Comics.
About Telltale, Inc.
Telltale is a leading independent digital publisher of interactive stories playable on every major gaming platform. Telltale is also the pioneer of episodic delivery of content, developing games as series, and successfully releasing on a schedule to create a longer consumer engagement for each release. Founded in 2004 by LucasArts veterans with decades of experience, Telltale has quickly become an industry leader, establishing the model for downloadable game seasons and releasing more than 30 games to date. Telltale’s reputation for quality has been established across more than 25 published releases that have cumulatively earned an average Metacritic score above 80%. Telltale's titles have won numerous awards including, "Adventure Game of the Year" accolades from publications such as IGN, PC Gamer, GameSpy, and Adventure Gamers, and have been recognized by mainstream outlets ranging from USA Today, to The New York Times to Variety. Telltale currently develops and publishes episodic series on PlayStation(R) 3, PC, Mac, Wii (TM), Xbox 360 (TM), iPhone/iPod Touch, and iPad.
CONTACTS:
Telltale Games PR
(415) 258-1638 ext. 501
pr@telltalegames.com
Alex Brewer
HighWater Group
(212) 338-0077 ext. 1023
Alex@highwatergroup.com
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