Telltale Games, the developer behind the iconic adventure game series The Walking Dead, Batman: The Enemy Within, and The Wolf Among Us appears to be experiencing widescale layoffs amid an upcoming closure, according to rumors that emerged on Twitter.
Word first emerged after journalist Andrea Ayres tweeted about Telltale, citing a posting in a Facebook group about Telltale “closing its doors.” Around the same time, former Telltale narrative designer Emily Grace Buck tweeted a call for work for coworkers and herself, citing that both she and her colleagues no longer had jobs at Telltale Games.
Hey, is anyone looking for an empathetic, kind Narrative Designer/Game Designer/ Writer for full time or contact work?
Asking for me. I don’t have a job any more.
— Emily Grace Buck (@emilybuckshot) September 21, 2018Also asking about other game dev jobs for a lot of other amazing people I love dearly
— Emily Grace Buck (@emilybuckshot) September 21, 2018A source told The OP that almost 90 percent of the company was laid off without severance. Telltale Games will be functioning with only 25 employees left.
That skeleton crew will remain to finish up The Wolf Among Us: Season Two and The Walking Dead: The Final Season, according to another source relayed to The OP. A game based on the Netflix series Stranger Things was reportedly in development but is now cancelled. It remains unclear for now if Telltale Games is set to immediately close or not and what will happen with the remaining staff.
Gamasutra has reported that Telltale Games is shuttering, though other reports have been conflicting. Either way, 25 employees seems dramatically short staffed for a company of this scale.
Earlier this year The Verge reported troubles at the company that despite successes with The Walking Dead, the company spiraled into financial and morale woes with overburdening of licenses, miscommunication, an outdated engine, and poor overall management. In 2013, star developers Sean Vanaman and Jake Rodkin left the company, eventually forming Campo Santo to make the game Firewatch.
This story is developing.
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