It looks like Telltale Games is the latest studio hit by the wave of layoffs rolling through the games industry. Following a report of layoffs, Telltale has confirmed to Destructoid that it recently let go off members of the team.
First news of this came from J.H., a developer who worked at the pre-revival Telltale as a cinematic artist.
“This is a sore subject, but I feel it necessary to add to the gaming layoff news: Telltale laid most of us off early September,” said J.H. He went on to explain he can’t disclose the current status of The Wolf Among Us 2, as it’s under NDA.
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Telltale Games provided Destructoid the following comment:
“Due to current market conditions, we regrettably had to let some of our Telltale team go recently. We did not take this action lightly, and our commitment to storytelling and finding new ways to do so remains the same. We are grateful to everyone for their dedication along this journey, and we are working to support everyone impacted. All projects currently in development are still in production, and we have no further updates at this time.”
Telltale declined to specify how many roles were let go, or which departments were affected.
Telltale Games was revived after its closure by LCG Entertainment, which set to work releasing a few projects under a ‘new’ Telltale banner. Between re-releases like Batman Shadows Edition and a collaboration with Deck Nine on The Expanse, the Frankenstein-ed Telltale seemed to be picking up steam, with The Wolf Among Us 2 just over the horizon.
The anticipated sequel to the original Telltale’s Fables adaptation was delayed earlier this year, pushing it into 2024. In an interview with IGN, Telltale CEO Jamie Ottilie said the delay was primarily to avoid burnout or shipping an unfinished game. Development was also shifting from Unreal Engine 4 to 5.
This adds Telltale to the growing number of studios that have cut jobs this year, in what’s been a dishearteningly massive wave of layoffs across the industry. A brief list includes Epic Games, Striking Distance Studios, CD Projekt Red, multiple studios owned by Embracer Group including Beamdog and Crystal Dynamics, Ubisoft, BioWare, Relic, Riot, Firaxis, and Microsoft. Plus reports of more at Twitch, Naughty Dog, and Team17. On top of all that, there was also the shutdown of Dang!, PixelOpus, Vanpool, and Volition Games.
