The new Telltale Games is not the same as the old Telltale Games, and company CEO Jamie Ottilie would very much like you to know that.
We all know the story by now: Telltale Games closed down very suddenly, leaving many of their intellectual properties in limbo. LCG Entertainment swooped in to pick up the branding and carry on with their work, but their new CEO is having a very difficult time with public perception.
"All we can do is be forthcoming; we can’t control whether critics hear or believe us," Mr. Ottilie said in an interview with IGN. "The truth is we are a new company — with different ownership and management, and a different approach as to how we structure a studio in today’s market."
New Telltale Games Building on Past Successes
Chief among Mr. Ottilie's concerns is the perception that the formation of the new Telltale Games is a "cash grab: — a cynical outlook that he wants to dispel.
"Of course, we’re frustrated by people who have suggested this is opportunistic or simply a money grab for the catalog of games without even giving us a chance," he said. "We have all jumped into this with the intention of standing the company back up and continuing the legacy of telling stories that people want to play. However, most of this was expected and, really, all we can do is put our heads down and focus on making great content worthy of the Telltale name."
The new Telltale Games is focusing on making their first new game, The Wolf Among Us 2. That's not all that they're doing, though — they're also aiming to create a work culture that's free of the "crunch" that plagues the gaming industry with 80+ hour work weeks during especially busy times.
It seems that they're also quite keen on avoiding past mistakes. The engine behind many Telltale Games wasn't the best one out there, and that's why they're building a new one. This new engine will be used for The Wolf Among Us 2 and presumably the company's other future projects.
It's reasonable to be skeptical about the new Telltale Games, but we're now in an era where a toxic work culture or bad game design doesn't stay secret for long. Jamie Ottilie seems like he has the right mindset going forward — and we'll definitely find out if he fails to deliver in any fashion.
What do you think of Jamie Ottilie's vision for the new Telltale Games? Do you think they'll be able to continue with their work without losing too much money and simultaneously avoiding crunch time? Let us know in the comments below!
