Telltale Games has released a new narrative deep dive trailer for The Expanse: A Telltale Series. The trailer contains insight into why Deck Nine chose to focus on the characters they did, how the writers approached writing multiple endings, and why the team is eschewing a grand narrative in favor of a "pirate adventure".
As originally announced back in May, The Expanse: A Telltale Series is launching its first episode on July 27th, and ahead of that date, we're getting some new info on the game's story, which is one of Telltale's biggest strengths. Game director Stephan Frost says the pitch for the game is to put you "in the mag-boots of one of the series' most influential and awesome characters" in the form of Camina Drummer, and that the game is intended to give "the full Expanse experience".
Performance director Zachary Andrews says the team wanted to steer away from a "4X conquer-the-solar-system type of political story" in favor of a "high-seas pirate adventure" with treasure hunting, mutinies, piracy, and more, but in a space setting. The story will, of course, largely revolve around its characters, too, and a couple of Deck Nine team members share their favorite people in The Expanse: A Telltale Series' cast in the above video.
Staff writer Iris Dauterman points to Maya, the ship's engineer and an ex-Martian Marine. She's capable, stubborn, and possessed of a "frontier spirit". Lead animator Martha Murrie, meanwhile, says she's "curious" to know how people react to the backstory of Virgil, the ship's medic, given that he has a "dark past" to which Drummer's reaction will be interesting.
Frost says that the decisions you make throughout the story of The Expanse will affect who lives and who dies on your crew, which sounds par for the course as far as Telltale games go. He says it's possible for everyone on the crew to die but one, or for everyone to live but one, and of course, those are just two extremes; a number of outcomes in between are possible as well. Andrews says that the team wants you to "agonize" over the choices you're making, and if you're a Telltale fan, you'll already know that feeling intimately.
The Expanse: A Telltale Series launches for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox on July 27th, with further episodes to come after the first one "premieres". Stay tuned for more info on The Expanse and all things Telltale.
