Posted Tue Feb 24, 2015 at 09:53 AM PST by Brian Hoss
Flurry of Telltale news released today.
Ever since the success of the first season of 'The Walking Dead' catapulted Telltale into one of the most enviable positions in the game industry, the developer and publisher has steadily been part of some of the biggest properties in entertainment. 'The Walking Dead' was followed by 'The Wolf Among Us,' only then to be followed by 'Borderlands' and 'Game of Thrones' adaptations, which are both currently in their first seasons as game series. With those series barely underway, Telltale has already announced that 'Minecraft: Story Mode' will be one of their next projects.
Telltale has long been an adventure game company, with projects like 'Back to the Future' and 'Jurassic Park' appearing alongside 'Sam & Max.' Since the success of 'The Walking Dead,' however, Telltale's episodic games have become more cinematic, and the multiplatform approach has come with certain reoccurring issues.
Now it seems the developer whose adventure games have been played by millions across every platform under the sun, is ready to take an even more cinematic show. Following a "significant investment" by Lionsgate, Telltale & Lionsgate have announced a partnership that will oversee the production of original IPs by Telltale into Super Shows- products that have both an interactive game component and a scripted, filmed component.
From Telltale CEO Kevin Bruner (via EW), "A 'Super Show' episode combines one part of interactive playable content with one part of scripted television style content. Both pieces, when combined together, are what make an actual Super Show 'episode.' As we’ve been developing the series, we're using both mediums in concert to deliver our story. Developing both aspects simultaneously is key to utilizing this new medium. Both parts are first class citizens during the writing and design process. It's not an interactive series with a show, or a TV show with a game, but a story integrated in a way that only Telltale can do. For us it’s a very natural evolution of the interactive story telling expertise we've pioneered."
The first Super Show will feature an original IP co-developed by Telltale and Lionsgate. As part of Lionsgate investment into Telltale, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer will join the Telltale Board of Directors.
And Jon Feltheimer isn't the only new addition to Telltale's Board of Directors. Telltale has also announced the appointment of former Electronic Arts CEO and Unity Technologies CEO John Riccitiello to the company's Board of Directors.
From Kevin Bruner, "As Telltale continues to lead the revolution in next generation interactive storytelling, I'm excited to welcome two top executives to our Board. Jon Feltheimer and John Riccitiello have decades of experience delivering premium entertainment to audiences everywhere. This is a time of explosive growth and opportunity for our company, and I'm thrilled to have these industry giants join us as we continue to define exceptional interactive scripted entertainment."
As much as the Lionsgate deal reflects Telltale's desire to grow and be featured in more mediums, the addition of Riccitiello suggests the multiproject approach is only goign to be expanding. The Telltale Games account has already become a big part of their current games. As the company adds both game and now TV like content, can a Telltale themed Netflix storefront be far off?
Source: Telltale Games
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