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Telltale Games is shutting down

commie

The Last Marxist
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Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Divinity: Original Sin 2
Telltale's recent games are pretty much hit and miss but I have a soft spot for Batman The Enemy Within mainly for their interpretation of Joker.

This one hurts honestly, TWD's 2nd and 3rd seasons were lame as shit but no closure to Clementine's arc? Fuck y'all :negative:


It's ok, I can tell you the end:

Clementine died on the way back to her home planet
 

Boleskine

Arcane
Joined
Sep 12, 2013
Messages
4,045
https://www.pcgamer.com/why-telltale-mattered/

Why Telltale mattered
By Richard Cobbett
Telltale proved that adventures weren’t simply alive and well, but that they could reach a mainstream and hardcore audience.

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The sudden collapse of Telltale Games took most by surprise, including its own employees. In a snap of the finger, the storyteller became a shell of its former self, leaving fans in the lurch, its employees scrabbling for work on Twitter, and the last series of The Walking Dead apparently abandoned half-finished. At the time of writing there is little hope of us ever getting to finish Clementine’s story.

An ignominious fate for an influential company. Telltale is one of the few studios to make episodic gaming work, and its adventure game template would go on to inspire many others, much as its own work was inspired by the hit adventures of LucasArts during its glory years.

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Given the success of games like The Walking Dead and the high-profile licenses that followed it—Minecraft, Batman and Game of Thrones in particular—it’s hard to remember that Telltale originally started as a very small fish in an admittedly relatively empty barrel. Adventure games weren’t dead—they never have been—but they were certainly on the outs after LucasArts canned planned games like Full Throttle 2 and Sam & Max 2 in the interests of making more terrible Star Wars prequel games.

Telltale started out with a series based on the Bone comics and the basically forgotten CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder and Texas Hold’Em, but it was with Sam & Max that they really shot to the world’s attention. Former LucasArts staff, including names like Day of the Tentacle creator Dave Grossman, starting a whole new company devoted to adventures?

What could possibly go wrong?

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At this point, we know most of the answer. In public, Telltale’s output almost immediately suffered as relatively primitive technology was stretched to fit every new license into the same template. Early on, that was the ‘Three Trials’ structure—intro, three objectives, ending, rinse, repeat. Behind the scenes, reports of crunch and mismanagement tell a tale of a company over-stretching.

The launch of The Walking Dead seemed to herald a new era for the company, in which games would finally be designed around licenses rather than shoved into a template. Sadly, the message the company took from the success was almost the opposite. Memorable elements like "X will remember that" went from a clever gimmick to a tired statement, and too often smoke-and-mirrors presentation hid a lack of real choice.

The most frustrating part of this on the outside though was knowing just how much better they could have been. Telltale had incredible talent at its disposal, and it’s often overlooked by players and press just as much as it was internally. Sam and Max: The Devil’s Playhouse was a superb attempt to break the formula, giving the Freelance Police a grittier world that regularly tried new things, like Sam’s noir-laced rampage and an episode where Max has to be the brains of the operation.

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Back To The Future, a mostly forgettable series, still had thoughtful design that explored Doc’s past in a way that was both faithful and ambitious, with my favourite scene showing that even a Doc in charge of a dystopian city is still a Doc driven by compassion and loyalty.

Tales From The Borderlands was an amazing ride, while Batman: The Enemy Within presented us with one of the most fascinating takes on The Joker ever committed to any kind of screen. In what other series or medium would you be playing as Batman, offering Joker tips on romancing Harley Quinn? Never mind doing it while nursing the hope that, just maybe, you could steer him away from crime, even knowing that it’ll all end in tears.

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This was Telltale. The music of Jared Emerson-Johnson, the design of people like Jake Rodkin and Sean Vanaman, the acting and writing and cinematography of a whole army of excellent people that frankly the company often didn't deserve.

Now, I’m not saying everything the Telltale touched turned to gold. It didn’t. Jurassic Park in particular is best forgotten. But as with every story, there’s nuance in the telling that deserves to be celebrated. I personally didn’t like Game of Thrones very much, but the opening chapter was majestic—in their most powerful moments, Telltale games put you you in the boots of characters making desperate choices. My favourite scene in The Walking Dead isn’t one of the big dramatic ones, but the simple decision of which hungry people to feed, and how it makes you wonder, just for a moment, what you would have done in their place.

There aren’t many Telltale games where I can’t pick out at least a few fantastic moments. Even within the often suffocating templates, pre- and post-The Walking Dead, Telltale’s creative teams repeatedly pushed boundaries and experimented in ways that didn’t get enough credit. Batman, to give just one example, mined new ground by splitting the action between Batman and Bruce Wayne, with a particular focus on Wayne. The series skirted issues of good and evil and instead pressured you with horrible choices about who would get hurt as a result of your actions. The new series of The Walking Dead looked to be taking things in another interesting direction, somewhat like BioShock 2, by having your decisions primarily affect your ward, AJ, instead of the player-controlled Clementine.

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A lasting impact


The effect of Telltale on the wider market can’t be ignored. Telltale games showed that adventures have to be dramatic and exciting things, not staid, backward-staring affairs. Telltale games directly inspired Life Is Strange and Dreamfall Chapters, and former members went on to create the beloved Firewatch and the upcoming In The Valley Of Gods. More than anything else, Telltale proved that adventures weren’t simply alive and well, but that they could reach a mainstream and hardcore audience on any platform. They didn’t save adventure games, because adventures didn’t need saving, but they damn well gave them a much needed shot of adrenaline to the proverbial genre-buttocks.

Still, the true legacy of Telltale deserves to be something else. Whatever its sins, and however poor many of its corporate decisions have been, we should remember it not as some anonymous gestalt, but for the work of an army of writers, artists, developers and more who cranked out often amazing stuff in very difficult situations. We can only hope that as many of them as possible find new positions in the games industry and continue to knock out those jams, hopefully in rather more comfort and on a less demanding schedule. There aren’t many companies that have touched so many people with their stories, and taken us on such exciting, funny, and occasionally heartbreaking adventures.

We will remember that.
 

Serus

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Imagine making video games in Alabama.

Where do I sign up?

Here:

https://www.indeed.com/m/viewjob?jk=1124ae1bfa224a99&from=serp


Oh wait..


Necessary Competencies

  • Honesty, superior ethics
  • Interpersonal savvy, excellent communication skills
  • Ability to be a team player
  • Initiative
  • Positive attitude
  • Professionalism
Hey, what are You saying! Darth Roxor is the synonym of "postive attitude".
 

Valky

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Trapped in a bioform
Company that makes nothing but button pressing movie simulators shutting down is worth celebrating. Casual garbage. Impressive how much propaganda the agents of decline are spreading in the mainstream media to make people think they should be sad about this.
 

Infinitron

I post news
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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
https://www.polygon.com/2018/9/25/17901106/telltale-layoffs-lawsuit-warn-act

Telltale hit with class-action lawsuit for breaking labor laws
Former employee says layoffs violated federal and state WARN laws

A former Telltale employee is suing the company in a class-action lawsuit, alleging that it violated labor laws on the books in California and nationwide when it laid off hundreds of employees on Friday in advance of a planned closure of the studio.

The complaint, filed Monday in federal court in San Francisco, is a class-action lawsuit submitted by Vernie Roberts on behalf of himself and his fellow laid-off workers. In the complaint, Roberts says Telltale — which is based in the San Francisco suburb of San Rafael, California — let go of the employees “without cause” and without providing them with “advance written notice as required by the WARN Act.”

The federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, which became law in 1988, stipulates that most businesses with at least 100 full-time workers must notify employees 60 days in advance of any plant closings or mass layoffs. The act defines a “mass layoff” as a reduction of 50 or more employees within a 30-day period (if the total comprises at least one-third of the company’s workforce), or any layoff of 500 or more workers. California’s state-level version of the WARN Act, which took effect in 2003, has more stringent requirements for businesses: It lowers the company-size threshold to 75 full- or part-time workers, and applies to any reduction of at least 50 employees. (Both the state and federal laws require advance notice of 60 days.)

Roberts’ complaint says the total layoffs at Telltale amount to approximately 275 employees. The figure appears to include the layoffs that occurred Sept. 21, which media reports pegged at about 250 individuals, as well as the skeleton crew of 25 that remains at the studio as it winds down operations. Telltale terminated the employees without providing any severance, according to the complaint. The laid-off individuals are reportedly receiving health benefits only until the end of the month.

Under the WARN Act, businesses that undertake plant closings or mass layoffs with fewer than 60 days’ advance notice are subject to significant financial penalties. Rather than pay fines, a company must give affected employees back pay and benefits for each day of violation. Roberts’ complaint says Telltale gave no advance notice of the cuts, which would mean that Telltale would have to give each of the 275 employees salary and benefits for a full 60 days following their termination, if the plaintiffs win the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs are requesting a jury trial, and are seeking to win the aforementioned compensation for the laid-off employees: an amount equal to the wages and benefits that the workers would receive if their employment continued for 60 days after their termination, plus interest, in accordance with the federal and California versions of the WARN Act.

We’ve reached out to Telltale for comment, and will update this article with any information we receive. For more on the lawsuit, you can read the complaint in full below.

Update: Telltale may be able to fight the lawsuit on the basis of the federal WARN Act, but it will likely have a tougher time defending its actions according to the California version of the law, reports GameDaily.

The federal law offers some exceptions for businesses, situations in which a company would be exempt from the 60-day advance notice provision. The exemptions include “business circumstances that were not reasonably foreseeable.” Variety reported Monday that Telltale was working to secure a round of financing, but that the last possible backer — which may have been Lionsgate, multiple sources told Variety — pulled out, forcing the studio to initiate shutdown plans and lay off most of the team.

GameDaily spoke with attorney Richard Hoeg, who said that in light of Variety’s reporting, Telltale may be able to cite the WARN Act’s “business circumstances” exception in its defense. However, noted Hoeg, the California counterpart to the WARN Act does not feature any such clause.

“The fact that California did not bring over the pertinent exemption would seem to put [Telltale] in a precarious compliance position with the state,” Hoeg told GameDaily.
 

Black

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Messages
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https://www.polygon.com/2018/9/25/17901106/telltale-layoffs-lawsuit-warn-act

Telltale hit with class-action lawsuit for breaking labor laws
Former employee says layoffs violated federal and state WARN laws

A former Telltale employee is suing the company in a class-action lawsuit, alleging that it violated labor laws on the books in California and nationwide when it laid off hundreds of employees on Friday in advance of a planned closure of the studio.

The complaint, filed Monday in federal court in San Francisco, is a class-action lawsuit submitted by Vernie Roberts on behalf of himself and his fellow laid-off workers. In the complaint, Roberts says Telltale — which is based in the San Francisco suburb of San Rafael, California — let go of the employees “without cause” and without providing them with “advance written notice as required by the WARN Act.”

The federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, which became law in 1988, stipulates that most businesses with at least 100 full-time workers must notify employees 60 days in advance of any plant closings or mass layoffs. The act defines a “mass layoff” as a reduction of 50 or more employees within a 30-day period (if the total comprises at least one-third of the company’s workforce), or any layoff of 500 or more workers. California’s state-level version of the WARN Act, which took effect in 2003, has more stringent requirements for businesses: It lowers the company-size threshold to 75 full- or part-time workers, and applies to any reduction of at least 50 employees. (Both the state and federal laws require advance notice of 60 days.)

Roberts’ complaint says the total layoffs at Telltale amount to approximately 275 employees. The figure appears to include the layoffs that occurred Sept. 21, which media reports pegged at about 250 individuals, as well as the skeleton crew of 25 that remains at the studio as it winds down operations. Telltale terminated the employees without providing any severance, according to the complaint. The laid-off individuals are reportedly receiving health benefits only until the end of the month.

Under the WARN Act, businesses that undertake plant closings or mass layoffs with fewer than 60 days’ advance notice are subject to significant financial penalties. Rather than pay fines, a company must give affected employees back pay and benefits for each day of violation. Roberts’ complaint says Telltale gave no advance notice of the cuts, which would mean that Telltale would have to give each of the 275 employees salary and benefits for a full 60 days following their termination, if the plaintiffs win the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs are requesting a jury trial, and are seeking to win the aforementioned compensation for the laid-off employees: an amount equal to the wages and benefits that the workers would receive if their employment continued for 60 days after their termination, plus interest, in accordance with the federal and California versions of the WARN Act.

We’ve reached out to Telltale for comment, and will update this article with any information we receive. For more on the lawsuit, you can read the complaint in full below.

Update: Telltale may be able to fight the lawsuit on the basis of the federal WARN Act, but it will likely have a tougher time defending its actions according to the California version of the law, reports GameDaily.

The federal law offers some exceptions for businesses, situations in which a company would be exempt from the 60-day advance notice provision. The exemptions include “business circumstances that were not reasonably foreseeable.” Variety reported Monday that Telltale was working to secure a round of financing, but that the last possible backer — which may have been Lionsgate, multiple sources told Variety — pulled out, forcing the studio to initiate shutdown plans and lay off most of the team.

GameDaily spoke with attorney Richard Hoeg, who said that in light of Variety’s reporting, Telltale may be able to cite the WARN Act’s “business circumstances” exception in its defense. However, noted Hoeg, the California counterpart to the WARN Act does not feature any such clause.

“The fact that California did not bring over the pertinent exemption would seem to put [Telltale] in a precarious compliance position with the state,” Hoeg told GameDaily.
Archive that shit next time.
http://archive.is/qextS
 

Eyestabber

Arcane
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PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015
You know, as much as I hate Telltale...



GODDAMN do I hate this screeching commie cunt even more. Bitch, EVERYONE in a company is fucking replaceable. Your mediocre ass even more so. "I speak for muh fellow developers when I say -" FUCK. YOU. I'm guessing this bitch wasn't even part of the team that made their first TWD (NOT saying it was a good game, but it was the one that actually made MONEY). I'm happy to learn about the lawsuit because there is a decent chance both sides will waste a lot of money on legal fees without getting anywhere, thus giving the BEST ENDING to their story. The one ending where the world does NOT see another Telltale product AND their posse of unemployed SJW hacks doesn't get any money either. GOD, MAKE THAT HAPPEN!!! :fuuyeah::fuuyeah::fuuyeah:

Bonus tweet:



Fucking lol, this cunt is buttmad because some cuck at Polygon forgot his morning soy dose and then wrote an article basically stating "maybe u went under because ur games are all the same banalboringshite?"

:lol:
 

Rahdulan

Omnibus
Patron
Joined
Oct 26, 2012
Messages
5,105
Bonus tweet:



Fucking lol, this cunt is buttmad because some cuck at Polygon forgot his morning soy dose and then wrote an article basically stating "maybe u went under because ur games are all the same banalboringshite?"

:lol:


To be fair she's not wrong. They just iterated towards removing more and more gameplay with each new title following TWD which I honestly already wouldn't classify as "modern take on P&C adventure". It lacked any real puzzles to actually be that.
 

Mustawd

Guest
Telltale hit with class-action lawsuit for breaking labor laws
Former employee says layoffs violated federal and state WARN laws

Wow...I’m just shocked. How stupid is the management?
 

taxalot

I'm a spicy fellow.
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Your wallet.
Codex 2013 PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015
Telltale hit with class-action lawsuit for breaking labor laws
Former employee says layoffs violated federal and state WARN laws

Wow...I’m just shocked. How stupid is the management?

There is a tendency , from what I have read, from games industry management guys to believe employees will just take any shit in that field of business. The practice of "crunching" is another example of this bullshit.

So far employees have proven them right but you can tell the tides are changing. Ask Quantic Dreams.
 

Bocian

Arcane
Joined
Jul 8, 2017
Messages
1,912
Imagine making video games in Alabama.

Where do I sign up?

Here:

https://www.indeed.com/m/viewjob?jk=1124ae1bfa224a99&from=serp


Oh wait..


Necessary Competencies

  • Honesty, superior ethics
  • Interpersonal savvy, excellent communication skills
  • Ability to be a team player
  • Initiative
  • Positive attitude
  • Professionalism
Hey, what are You saying! Darth Roxor is the synonym of "postive attitude".
Neutral-positive attitude.
 

passerby

Arcane
Joined
Nov 16, 2016
Messages
2,788

TWD1 was given away for free on HB and also was in a 1$ tier half year earlier. Even I have it and I hate zombie theme and rarely play adventure games, both puzzle and qte walking sim variety.
 

Mustawd

Guest
Telltale hit with class-action lawsuit for breaking labor laws
Former employee says layoffs violated federal and state WARN laws

Wow...I’m just shocked. How stupid is the management?

There is a tendency , from what I have read, from games industry management guys to believe employees will just take any shit in that field of business. The practice of "crunching" is another example of this bullshit.

So far employees have proven them right but you can tell the tides are changing. Ask Quantic Dreams.

IIRC the penatly for not providing 60 days notice or 60 days payment in lieu of notice is $500 per day per person. But it’s a private corporation, which at this point is likely worthless, so I guess the shareholders are just sayig “fuck it, the company is dead anyhow. Who cares about fines?” Doubt there’s much money left when the lawsuit is finalized. What awful management.

You don’t treat your employees like this. It’s just unethical and immoral.
 

Mark Richard

Arcane
Joined
Mar 14, 2016
Messages
1,192
It's easy to forget how cool they used to be. Before the indi renaissance Telltale (and Daedalic Entertainment) kept the point & click adventure genre alive. The episodic formula allowed them to make changes according to fan feedback mid-development. They would remain DRM-free during a time when the big games were pushing mandatory online connectivity and installation limits. If you signed up to Telltale's online store, they'd send physical copies of any games you bought free of charge.

Then they lost their heads with the major success that was The Walking Dead and tripled the number of employees in just a few years to work on multiple games, all based on the same formula. According to the media's recent anonymous sources, Telltale's magic formula was never profitable beyond its initial discovery. They had found a gold vein and invested all their resources in constructing a mine, only to find the area barren.
 

Tramboi

Prophet
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First Tellgame games were not DRM-free, IIRC.
And their first act of being cool was ditching Bone after a few episodes, already.
No, they never were that good.
 

Darth Roxor

Royal Dongsmith
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Messages
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First Tellgame games were not DRM-free, IIRC.

If first Telltale games were Sam&Max, then they were definitely DRM-free. Iirc you only had to download an .exe installer from their site and that was it.
 

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