Examples of Damage Control in Gaming: Telltale’s The Walking Not-So-Dead?

The scaling down and impending closure of Telltale Games is one of the most surprising video game-related events to happen in recent memory, thanks to how sudden it was. The company seemed to be providing successful adventure game titles in a time where the genre saw a resurgence, and quickly became the most well-known name among developers who specialize in the genre after Telltale’s The Walking Dead hit it big. But many of their games reportedly weren’t making money, partly due to being based on licensed properties, and also because later titles simply didn’t sell enough to make their budgets back.

This resulted in the company laying off 250 employees the cancellation of several games in development, including The Wolf Among Us Season 2 and the Stranger Things game. (Footage of the latter game leaked, though it was clearly early in development, and Netflix still wants to develop a title with another developer.) While it initially appeared the splinter staff of 25 employees were sticking around to finish The Walking Dead: The Final Season, that was cancelled too. They’re sticking around to finish Minecraft: Story Mode for Netflix, which made sense considering the TWD series’ creative and design staff were also let go. The second episode of the season still released on schedule on Tuesday, though the team had no time to make it a fitting end. Poor Clementine’s tale seems like it will go unfinished.

Yet, it’s possible there’s some hope.

Telltale has undoubtedly seen comments from several fans who are disappointed the original team isn’t there to finish the series. While most gaming press sites reported about the removal of the option to purchase the entire season from digital storefronts four days after Telltale announced their impending closure, they also provided an ostensibly encouraging response for Polygon’s story. Telltale claims they’ve only removed the purchasing option “for the time being,” but also confirmed how they’re looking for “a way to hand off production of episodes 3 and 4 so that the season can be completed.” No deal has been struck yet, but it’s possible the series could be finished without resorting to a short comic series or posting a text version of the remaining scenario online.

Anyone excited for this potential should temper their expectations, because there’s no guarantee that they’ll find another team. There’s also potential for the project to go horribly wrong, especially given how Telltale previously ran their business and dealt with employees.

There aren’t many developers that work in adventure games whose schedules are currently free. Dontnod Entertainment’s status will rise as an adventure game company with Telltale out of the game, the studio responsible for the award-winning Life is Strange series. But they’re currently working on Life is Strange 2, whose first episode recently released. There’s also Supermassive Games, who worked on horror game Until Dawn. But they’re currently working on The Dark Pictures Anthology, due for release next year.

However, Deck Nine, who worked on Life is Strange: Before the Storm while the main team was working on the second game, appears to be available. There’s a chance they’re working on an unrevealed project, but if not, they could be a good choice despite BTS receiving a lower critical reception than the first LIS.

Even if Telltale finds a good developer, questions will be raised about how they’ll treat and compensate their employees. As I noted in the post about the company’s layoffs and impending closure, Telltale’s management tossed out the employees like they were yesterday’s trash. Several of them took to social media to note how they were never given any severance pay despite providing hours upon hours of “crunch” overtime, while health care coverage for most of them will end soon — if it hasn’t already.

The United States treats its workers remarkably poorly compared to other developed countries, and don’t get me started on our garbage health care system. But some of the most poorly-treated workers are in the gaming industry, and it’s clear that Telltale is part of the problem.

There have been several fans of the series who’d like to see it finished at all costs, and are criticizing the employees for warning other developers about the risks of working with Telltale. While this kind of contagion isn’t surprising among people in a country where labor is under frequent attack, come on, these are human beings here. Telltale’s issues have been documented by several sites since their closure, and it’s unlikely that they’ve learned any lessons in this short a time. Anyone who potentially works with them should get a guarantee that they’ll be paid adequately for their work, and Telltale’s own hubris will be to blame if it doesn’t happen.

If they manage to establish a good temporary relationship with another company and give them adequate pay, then hopefully the final two episodes turn out well. I’m personally betting on Telltale’s response here being temporary damage control to try and assuage their fans, and potentially make the Season Pass purchasable again, but I hope I’m wrong.