Author Topic: TellTale Games Restructures & Lays Off Staff  (Read 7130 times)

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Offline zerosum

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TellTale Games Restructures & Lays Off Staff
« on: November 07, 2017, 06:44:17 PM »
Layoffs Hit TellTale Games


Seems a bad time for news like this to go down. Regardless, looks like even successful studios aren't immune from having things like this cause a hitch in their stride. The focus on making more quality games rather than quantity of games seems reasonable enough, but it's still a rough go for those no longer employed.

TellTale CEO Pete Hawley -

Our industry has shifted in tremendous ways over the past few years. The realities of the environment we face moving forward demand we evolve, as well, reorienting our organization with a focus on delivering fewer, better games with a smaller team.

I'd like to express our respect for all the contributions that these incredibly talented artists, storytellers and more have made to this company, and that this decision is in no way a reflection on the quality or dedication of their work. We have made available our full career assistance services to help our affected colleagues and friends—and their families—navigate this difficult transition as quickly as possible.


Source: [gamesindustry.biz]

Offline zerosum

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Re: TellTale Games Lays Off Staff - Will Close Down
« Reply #1 on: September 21, 2018, 05:34:05 PM »


UPDATE x2: Reports now say Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead: The Final Season is also canceled following the studio’s effective closure. The second of four episodes was due Sept. 25

[Twitter Update]



UPDATE: Polygon is reporting this is all a lead up to TellTale closing its doors...

Source: [Polygon]



Looks like these "layoffs" have a sadly often heard plot-twist for game studios - Telltale lays off most of its staff. The Verge reports the following:

The company will retain a small team of around 25. According to multiple sources The Verge spoke with, employees were let go with no severance.

The final season of Telltale’s award-winning series, The Walking Dead, kicked off last month. The second episode is slated to launch next week. Staff were informed of the layoffs today and were given roughly 30 minutes to leave the building, according to one source.

The layoffs come a few months after revelations that Telltale was a studio mired in toxic management that included employees being subjected to constant overwork.

In June, co-founder and former CEO Kevin Bruner sued the company seeking recovery of financial damages. Telltale described the suit as “meritless” and “an apparent means of extracting revenge on a company already under financial strain.”

In a post on his personal site today titled “Telltale closure,” Bruner wrote that he is “saddened for the people who are losing their jobs at a studio they love. And I’m also saddened at the loss of a studio that green-lit crazy ideas that no one else would consider.”


Source: [The Verge]
« Last Edit: September 21, 2018, 09:39:29 PM by zerosum »

Offline zerosum

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Re: TellTale Games Restructures & Lays Off Staff
« Reply #2 on: November 16, 2018, 12:36:21 PM »

As this whole thing crumbles down, games begin to be de-listed from the Xbox Live Marketplace -

[Via TA]

Back to the Future: The Game - 30th Anniversary Edition has been removed from the Xbox One store. The Xbox 360 version of the title is still available at the time of writing, but it's unknown whether that version will also disappear. Aside from this game, The Telltale Games Collection and The Walking Dead: Season 1 and Season 2 - Bundle have also disappeared from the store, although all of the games included in these bundles are still available to buy separately. The Telltale Mega Collection also still remains available for purchase, so there is still a bundle available for those wanting to bulk purchase their titles.

Note: Games have already been pulled from the Steam Store - TA Issued the following report on it - [TA]

Telltale is not going through bankruptcy proceedings. Instead, they're going through what is known as assignment proceedings, which is a similar but quicker process. Here, the company is trying to find people to purchase all of their assets so that they can raise enough money to pay their creditors without declaring themselves bankrupt. According to the paperwork, this includes "physical goods, trademarks, copyrights, software, and source code". A company called Sherwood Partners has been tasked with handling those ongoing efforts.
« Last Edit: November 16, 2018, 12:56:48 PM by zerosum »

Offline zerosum

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Re: TellTale Games Restructures & Lays Off Staff [UPDATED]
« Reply #3 on: August 28, 2019, 02:55:31 PM »
[TellTale Is Being Revived!]

Quote
PULL QUOTE: “WE’RE WORKING VERY HARD NOT TO MAKE SIMILAR MISTAKES.”

 

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