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Telltale: Potential partners interested in finishing The Walking Dead’s final season [Kotaku Update]
- Thread starter Shard Shinjuku
- Start date
OP
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Given how things have worked in the past, very likely actually.
I don't understand why they keep selling The Final Season if they can't complete it. I totally understand the situation and the fact I won't see a refund for this, but why keep selling it? You would stop selling it to avoid people getting angry, but the game is still up everywhere.
What little value they have is tied up in outside licensing, and we have no idea whether those licenses would carry over in this way. Marvel/DC/Image would probably want to have a say in who has their licenses, and I have to imagine their contracts with Tell Tale were drawn up that way. Its a little different than some of the liquidations we've seen in the past.
Outside partners are not gonna fund severance pay. The choice is finish TWD or don't finish. That's it. The developers get fucked either way.
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The best to be hoped for is a reformation of the team under a new banner.
"Hi everyone. We are actively working towards a solution to sell off what assets we can to put money into the pockets of Telltale's corporate leadership. This sale will of course not benefit the hundreds of employees were fucked over and you would be stupid to think we actually care about finishing the final season of the Walking Dead. Episode 2 will release tomorrow but you're unlikely to ever get a resolution. Despite that, we are still going to try and squeeze out as much money as we can."
Thank you. Telltale didn't pay severence because they have no money. Isn't that the entire reason they have to shutdown?
It sucks that the devs were exploited and left in the dark, it really sucks. But if some outside studios really wanna step in to at least finish the finale to the 2012 GOTY, that is still better than letting it die along with the company, no?
I mean hell, here is the lead writer of episode 2:
I understand the desire from fans to see something they love so much potentially get completed but Telltale is handling all of this in the worst way possible. Pay your employees severence first.
I've seen people mention that Pete Hawley's claims that the studio is going to survive for the foreseeable future with the 25 employees could be a violation of California's WARN Act, which requires a 60 day warning before a layoff of this magnitude. Curious to see if that bears fruit.
I am extremely tired of people using this tweet as proof that this bullshit is all okay.
Mary being happy that her work will see the light of day doesn't suddenly handwave away all of this garbage telltale is doing. The two aren't mutually exclusive.
I've seen people mention that Pete Hawley's claims that the studio is going to survive for the foreseeable future with the 25 employees could be a violation of California's WARN Act, which requires a 60 day warning before a layoff of this magnitude. Curious to see if that bears fruit.
I am extremely tired of people using this tweet as proof that this bullshit is all okay.
Mary being happy that her work will see the light of day doesn't suddenly handwave away all of this garbage telltale is doing. The two aren't mutually exclusive.
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Disgusting that people are celebrating this announcement when 200+ people got screwed out of job and pay by this garbage management.
Only way this doesn't feel incredibly dirty if the companies finishing it hired on Telltale staff permanently and the profits of the game towards those still searching for a job.
Telltale doesn't really have much to sell. Virtually every game it has made incorporates third-party intellectual property in some way, which means they're only good until those contracts expire, if they haven't already (e.g. Wallace & Gromit). It's exceedingly rare for a publisher to relicense IP, so the bulk of Telltale's catalogue is just a box of ticking or expired time bombs.
Edit: To clarify, I'm not saying a buyout won't happen, just that it seems unlikely.
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I was explaining this in another thread. Platform holders will lose out on their 30% cut , not shocking MS would be fine absorbing that hit over bad pr but I expect other platform holders have to decide how they want to categorize the loss as they won't be recouping anything from Telltale most likely.
Telltale having this messaging does complicate things as technically they have not fully breeched their obligation so other platforms are put in an odd spot of deciding how to categorize the loss and whether to pull licenses post refunds or wait until telltale actually misses a date.
Even if it were possible by the time bankruptcy proceedings have taken place all the people will have moved on. You would have to hire a bunch of ex Telltale devs right now and hope that you're able to secure something for them to do later on.
They don't really have many "properties" worth owning though...just a lot of licensed games that anyone can make
That Arlo tweet to Telltale just shows how the guy is completely clueless. Not that his videos don't show it already.
Same here. Easily one of my top 3 favorite heroines of this generation.
Short and sweet:
There's more important shit than whether or not they finish a season. It's the 250 employees laid off with no safety net.
There's more important shit than whether or not they finish a season. It's the 250 employees laid off with no safety net.
Unfortunately this thread is proof that the majority of people just don't care.
Do you really think if I say "pay your severance, Telltale!", it has a higher chance of happening?
One has a realistic chance of actually coming true, the other does not.
Do you really want to support Telltale at this point? None of the people actually responsible for the majority of the dev work will see a cent if the game is completed.
I don't want to support Telltale, but there is no reason to shit on people being happy that they might get closure for TWD, especailly when it cost money in the first place.
Not sure Telltale would exist long enough to see any money from TWD being finished. Transferring it over to another company is gonna take time.
If there's any silver lining to the collapse of Telltale, it's that I imagine we'll see at least one new indie studio emerge out of it, working on similar narrative games without all the baggage.
How can one separate continuing to support TWD while not supporting Telltale?
I get it. The situation is awful, however as someone who is a huge fan of the comics I, for one, desperately want closure to Clem's story. It's the only walking dead spinoff that has really captured the spirit of the comics. I'll take whatever I can get. The video game industry as a whole seems to rally around the employees affected in these scenarios. Hopefully everyone lands on their feet.
I think that's an absurd claim. Show me all these people that don't care in this thread. Unless there's something that comes out to indicate that any deal Telltale strikes to get the remaining story out in some form is coming out of their own money the entire argument is moot. If they don't have the money to pay it, they don't have the money to pay it. If they do and use it on something else such as TWD they will likely be in violation of state law and get royally fucked for it. But the outcry about this as if it's coming at the expense of severance seems naive at best.
My money is already gone. Nothing that happens from this point forward is going to impact that. If TT is being deceptive about the state of their finances they will in all likelihood be caught out for it.
I don't understand why they kept making more seasons when only the first season made money. If season 2 and 3 didn't, why make more?
They should also get someone to complete TWAU season 2. They game was suppose to ship in 2018 when it was announced, so maybe it's far into development.
Would be cool if this happens,
but cynical me thinks they say this because they are pretty much forced to give a statement today (with the second episode out now) and this is the only way they won't be faced with mass refunds. Let's wait and see.
Welp at people here guilt-tripping others who just say they would be happy if Clems story gets closure, and accusing them of not caring about the people who are now without jobs
but cynical me thinks they say this because they are pretty much forced to give a statement today (with the second episode out now) and this is the only way they won't be faced with mass refunds. Let's wait and see.
Welp at people here guilt-tripping others who just say they would be happy if Clems story gets closure, and accusing them of not caring about the people who are now without jobs
"Guilt tripping" Real Peoples lives matter more than a video game story. They could easily just release the script to the rest of the episodes.
Instead they are going to get scavs to finish the final chapters while continuing to fuck over the actual people who made the series what it is but hey at least people get their video game.
Will the new studio get the source code of Episode 3&4 for free and be allowed to sell the final season on their own? Microsoft could step in because it's good PR and they don't need to worry about money.