Telltale Games
Encyclopedia
Telltale Games is a leading independent digital first publisher and game developer founded in June 2004 as Telltale, Incorporated. Based in San Rafael, California
, the studio includes designers formerly employed by LucasArts
. Its business model revolves around episodic gaming
and digital distribution
, and it is best known for its various graphic adventure game
series based on popular licensed properties.
employees who had been working on Sam & Max: Freelance Police, a sequel to the 1993 game Sam & Max Hit the Road
, prior to its cancellation on March 3, 2004. In an early press release the vocal public response to said cancellation was cited as a main reason the company was founded. The Telltale Games team has a large collective experience working on LucasArts' famed classics
.
On February 11, 2005, the company released their first game — Telltale Texas Hold'em
, a poker
card game simulator which was intended primarily to test their in-house game engine. This was followed by two games based on Jeff Smith's
Bone
comic book series. More episodes were planned, but later aborted. They developed CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder
for Ubisoft
, and although it was composed of several free-standing episodes, it was released exclusively at retail as a single package. The same is true for the follow ups, CSI: Hard Evidence
, and CSI: Deadly Intent
.
After securing two rounds of angel investment from San Francisco Bay Area angels including members of angel group Keiretsu Forum, Telltale attempted to buy the rights to complete Sam & Max: Freelance Police from LucasArts, but when they were denied, they secured the rights to create new games from series creator Steve Purcell. Unlike their previous games, Sam & Max: Season One (published in collaboration with GameTap
) was their first episodic series released on a tight monthly schedule—a landmark for the game industry. The series proved successful, and Telltale went on to produce two additional Sam & Max seasons. Since then, they have continued to produce series based on popular licenses released in monthly episodes. These have been largely comedic, including games based on Wallace & Gromit and Homestar Runner
. Tales of Monkey Island
, based on the popular LucasArts series, marks their most successful series to date, owing in part to the history many of its developers had with LucasArts adventure games.
, a puzzle-solving game in collaboration with Graham Annable
, was released in the middle of June 2010, while Poker Night at the Inventory
, a crossover poker game featuring characters from Sam and Max, Homestar Runner, Valve's Team Fortress 2
, and the webcomic Penny Arcade
, was released late in 2010.
to develop two episodic series based on Back to the Future and Jurassic Park
. Further series based on licensed properties were announced in February 2011, including series based on the comic book series The Walking Dead
and Fables
in association with Warner Bros. Entertainment, and a series based on the early King's Quest
adventure games by Sierra On-Line. In April 2011, Telltale announced another licensed episodic series, based on Law & Order: Los Angeles
.
By 2010, Telltale has proven itself successful, with yearly revenues of $10 million, 90% greater than the previous year. Part of this is attributed to Back to the Future: The Game, which Steve Allison, the senior vice president of marketing, called their "most successful franchise to date". Allison states that for most of their games, they only need to sell 100,000 copies to break even, but many of their recent releases have seen twice that number or more; Allison anticipates that The Walking Dead series could be a $20 to $30 million franchise. Telltale expects with the additional licensed franchises, the studio and its revenues will continue to grow at a similar pace, expanding from their current 90 employees to 140.
While chiefly a developer, Telltale Games values its ability to self-publish their games; the only times it has had a classic developer-publisher relationship is with Ubisoft
for the CSI games. They have struck financial arrangements with GameTap
for the first two seasons of the rebooted Sam & Max games, but for the rest their publishing arrangements have been made after the games were already completed and had already been sold via digital distribution.
Telltale aims to have a presence on as many platforms and avenues of digital distribution as possible. To date, they have released games through GameTap
, Steam, WiiWare
, Xbox Live Arcade
, various web based games portals and their own online store. They intend to distribute through the PlayStation Network as well and have expressed interest in the DSi
platform as well as PSP Go
, and recently porting games to Mac
, starting with Tales of Monkey Island and followed by the Sam & Max series. They released Sam & Max: The Penal Zone for iPad in 2010, and ported Tales of Monkey Island, Back to the Future, Puzzle Agent and HECTOR to the iPad as well.
that the development staff of Jurassic Park: The Game
wrote favourable user reviews of the game on Metacritic
without disclosing their identities.
San Rafael, California
San Rafael is a city and the county seat of Marin County, California, United States. The city is located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area...
, the studio includes designers formerly employed by LucasArts
LucasArts
LucasArts Entertainment Company, LLC is an American video game developer and publisher. The company was once famous for its innovative line of graphic adventure games, the critical and commercial success of which peaked in the mid 1990s...
. Its business model revolves around episodic gaming
Episodic games
An episodic video game is a video game of a shorter length that is commercially released as an installment to a continuous and larger series. Episodic games differ from conventional video games in that they often contain less content but are developed on a more frequent basis.Such a series may or...
and digital distribution
Digital distribution
Online distribution, digital distribution, or electronic software distribution is the practice of delivering content without the use of physical media, typically by downloading via the internet directly to a consumer's device. Online distribution bypasses conventional physical distribution media,...
, and it is best known for its various graphic adventure game
Graphic adventure game
A graphic adventure game is a form of adventure game. They are distinct from text adventures. Whereas a player must actively observe using commands such as "look" in a text-based adventure, graphic adventures revolutionized gameplay by making use of natural human perception...
series based on popular licensed properties.
Company foundation
Telltale Games was founded by a group of former LucasArtsLucasArts
LucasArts Entertainment Company, LLC is an American video game developer and publisher. The company was once famous for its innovative line of graphic adventure games, the critical and commercial success of which peaked in the mid 1990s...
employees who had been working on Sam & Max: Freelance Police, a sequel to the 1993 game Sam & Max Hit the Road
Sam & Max Hit the Road
Sam & Max Hit the Road is a graphic adventure computer game released by LucasArts during the company's adventure games era. The game was originally released for DOS in 1993 and for Mac OS in 1995. A 2002 re-release included compatibility with Windows and Amiga...
, prior to its cancellation on March 3, 2004. In an early press release the vocal public response to said cancellation was cited as a main reason the company was founded. The Telltale Games team has a large collective experience working on LucasArts' famed classics
LucasArts adventure games
From the late 1980s to the early 2000s, LucasArts was well known for their point-and-click graphic adventure games, nearly all of which received high scoring reviews at the time of their release. Their style tended towards the humorous, often irreverent or slapstick humour, with a few exceptions...
.
On February 11, 2005, the company released their first game — Telltale Texas Hold'em
Telltale Texas Hold'em
Telltale Texas Hold'em is a poker video game released by Telltale Games. It was their first game and is so far the only game by Telltale Games to use solely original characters rather than licensed ones. The game was released by Telltale to examine the benefits of digital distribution. It was...
, a poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
card game simulator which was intended primarily to test their in-house game engine. This was followed by two games based on Jeff Smith's
Jeff Smith (cartoonist)
Jeff Smith is an American cartoonist, best known as the creator of the self-published comic book series Bone. His current series, RASL, focuses on an art thief who hops through dimensional barriers, hiding out on various parallel worlds.-Early life and education:Jeff Smith was born in McKees...
Bone
Bone (comics)
Bone is an independently published graphic novel series originally serialized in 55 irregularly released issues from 1991 to 2004. Bone was drawn and written by Jeff Smith....
comic book series. More episodes were planned, but later aborted. They developed CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder
CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder
CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder is a computer game based on the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation television series. Unlike the previous CSI games, this game was developed by Telltale Games, rather than 369 Interactive...
for Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
, and although it was composed of several free-standing episodes, it was released exclusively at retail as a single package. The same is true for the follow ups, CSI: Hard Evidence
CSI: Hard Evidence
CSI: Hard Evidence is a computer game based on the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation television series. This is the fifth CSI game released, including CSI: Miami....
, and CSI: Deadly Intent
CSI: Deadly Intent
CSI: Deadly Intent is a computer game based on the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation television series. It's the seventh CSI game released, including CSI: Miami and CSI: NY...
.
After securing two rounds of angel investment from San Francisco Bay Area angels including members of angel group Keiretsu Forum, Telltale attempted to buy the rights to complete Sam & Max: Freelance Police from LucasArts, but when they were denied, they secured the rights to create new games from series creator Steve Purcell. Unlike their previous games, Sam & Max: Season One (published in collaboration with GameTap
GameTap
GameTap is an American online video game service established by Turner Broadcasting System . Dubbed by TBS as a "first of its kind broadband gaming network", the service provides users with classic arcade video games and game-related video content...
) was their first episodic series released on a tight monthly schedule—a landmark for the game industry. The series proved successful, and Telltale went on to produce two additional Sam & Max seasons. Since then, they have continued to produce series based on popular licenses released in monthly episodes. These have been largely comedic, including games based on Wallace & Gromit and Homestar Runner
Homestar Runner
Homestar Runner is a Flash animated Internet cartoon. It mixes surreal humor with references to retro pop culture, notably video games, classic television, and popular music.The cartoons are nominally centered on the title character, Homestar Runner...
. Tales of Monkey Island
Tales of Monkey Island
Tales of Monkey Island is a 2009 graphic adventure video game developed by Telltale Games and LucasArts. It is the fifth game in the Monkey Island series, released nearly a decade after the previous installment, Escape from Monkey Island. Developed for Windows and the Wii console, the game was...
, based on the popular LucasArts series, marks their most successful series to date, owing in part to the history many of its developers had with LucasArts adventure games.
Pilot Program
To supplement their normal episodic games, Telltale created a Pilot Program in early 2010 to explore one-off games that would explore other gameplay and storytelling approaches that could eventually be incorporated into their episodic games. The first game, Nelson Tethers: Puzzle AgentNelson Tethers: Puzzle Agent
Nelson Tethers: Puzzle Agent is an adventure/puzzle game by Telltale Games, in collaboration with Graham Annable. It is the first game to come out of Telltale's pilot project. It was released on June 30, 2010...
, a puzzle-solving game in collaboration with Graham Annable
Graham Annable
Graham Annable is a cartoonist and animator living in Portland, Oregon. He is the creator of Grickle, published by Alternative Comics, and one of the founders of the Hickee humor anthology...
, was released in the middle of June 2010, while Poker Night at the Inventory
Poker Night at the Inventory
Poker Night at the Inventory is a poker video game developed by Telltale Games. It features four crossover characters: Tycho from the Penny Arcade webcomic, Max from the Sam & Max franchise, the Heavy-class from Team Fortress 2, and Strong Bad from the Homestar Runner web series...
, a crossover poker game featuring characters from Sam and Max, Homestar Runner, Valve's Team Fortress 2
Team Fortress 2
Team Fortress 2 is a free-to-play team-based first-person shooter multiplayer video game developed by Valve Corporation. A sequel to the original mod Team Fortress based on the Quake engine, it was first released as part of the video game compilation The Orange Box on October 10, 2007 for Windows...
, and the webcomic Penny Arcade
Penny Arcade
Penny Arcade may refer to:* Penny arcade, a venue for coin-operated devices* Penny Arcade ** Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, a series of video games based on the webcomic...
, was released late in 2010.
Growth of company and acquisition of popular franchises
In June 2010, Telltale announced that they had secured licences with NBC UniversalNBC Universal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base...
to develop two episodic series based on Back to the Future and Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park (franchise)
The Jurassic Park franchise is a series of books, films, comics, and videos centering on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs...
. Further series based on licensed properties were announced in February 2011, including series based on the comic book series The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead is a monthly black-and-white US comic book series published by Image Comics beginning in 2003. The comic was created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore, who was replaced by Charlie Adlard from issue #7 onward, although Moore continued to do the covers through issue...
and Fables
Fables (comics)
Fables is a comic book series created by writer Bill Willingham, published by DC Comics's Vertigo imprint beginning in 2002. The series deals with various characters from fairy tales and folklore – referring to themselves as "Fables" – who have been forced out of their Homelands by "The...
in association with Warner Bros. Entertainment, and a series based on the early King's Quest
King's Quest
King's Quest is an adventure game series created by the American software company Sierra Entertainment. It is widely considered a classic series from the golden era of adventure games. Following the success of its first installment, the series was primarily responsible for building the reputation...
adventure games by Sierra On-Line. In April 2011, Telltale announced another licensed episodic series, based on Law & Order: Los Angeles
Law & Order: Los Angeles
Law & Order: LA, originally titled Law & Order: Los Angeles, is an American police procedural and legal drama television series set in Los Angeles, where it was produced...
.
By 2010, Telltale has proven itself successful, with yearly revenues of $10 million, 90% greater than the previous year. Part of this is attributed to Back to the Future: The Game, which Steve Allison, the senior vice president of marketing, called their "most successful franchise to date". Allison states that for most of their games, they only need to sell 100,000 copies to break even, but many of their recent releases have seen twice that number or more; Allison anticipates that The Walking Dead series could be a $20 to $30 million franchise. Telltale expects with the additional licensed franchises, the studio and its revenues will continue to grow at a similar pace, expanding from their current 90 employees to 140.
Development philosophy
Telltale Games presents itself specifically as a developer of episodic games. Many critics feel that Telltale is the only company to have done episodic gaming right, usually citing its ability to consistently deliver on a monthly schedule. Telltale is also seen by movie studios and other content producers to take a more realistic approach to movie tie-in games; rather than the difficult model of "see the movie; play the game", Telltale is noted for working with studios and screenwriters to create a strong experience that pays homage to the original film or franchise.While chiefly a developer, Telltale Games values its ability to self-publish their games; the only times it has had a classic developer-publisher relationship is with Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
for the CSI games. They have struck financial arrangements with GameTap
GameTap
GameTap is an American online video game service established by Turner Broadcasting System . Dubbed by TBS as a "first of its kind broadband gaming network", the service provides users with classic arcade video games and game-related video content...
for the first two seasons of the rebooted Sam & Max games, but for the rest their publishing arrangements have been made after the games were already completed and had already been sold via digital distribution.
Telltale aims to have a presence on as many platforms and avenues of digital distribution as possible. To date, they have released games through GameTap
GameTap
GameTap is an American online video game service established by Turner Broadcasting System . Dubbed by TBS as a "first of its kind broadband gaming network", the service provides users with classic arcade video games and game-related video content...
, Steam, WiiWare
WiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
, Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
, various web based games portals and their own online store. They intend to distribute through the PlayStation Network as well and have expressed interest in the DSi
DSI
DSI is an initialism for the following companies:* Dave Smith Instruments, an American synthesizer company* Delphi Schools, Inc.* Delphine Software International, a now bankrupt software company* Destination Software, Inc., a video game company...
platform as well as PSP Go
PSP Go
The PSP Go is a version of the PlayStation Portable handheld game console manufactured by Sony. It was released on October 1, 2009 in American and European territories, and on November 1 in Japan. It was revealed prior to E3 2009 through Sony's Qore VOD service...
, and recently porting games to Mac
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
, starting with Tales of Monkey Island and followed by the Sam & Max series. They released Sam & Max: The Penal Zone for iPad in 2010, and ported Tales of Monkey Island, Back to the Future, Puzzle Agent and HECTOR to the iPad as well.
Controversy
It was reported by 1UP.com1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
that the development staff of Jurassic Park: The Game
Jurassic Park: The Game
Jurassic Park: The Game is an episodic, downloadable third-person adventure video game developed by Telltale Games that is based on the Jurassic Park franchise. The game, which is the latest of several Universal/Telltale deals, was originally announced in June 2010 before being revealed in the...
wrote favourable user reviews of the game on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
without disclosing their identities.
Games developed
- Telltale Texas Hold'emTelltale Texas Hold'emTelltale Texas Hold'em is a poker video game released by Telltale Games. It was their first game and is so far the only game by Telltale Games to use solely original characters rather than licensed ones. The game was released by Telltale to examine the benefits of digital distribution. It was...
(2005) - Bone: Out from BonevilleBone: Out from BonevilleBone: Out from Boneville is the second video game endeavor by Telltale Games, and the first episode of the Bone adventure game series. It was released in September 2005 after around seven months in production...
(2005) - CSI: 3 Dimensions of MurderCSI: 3 Dimensions of MurderCSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder is a computer game based on the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation television series. Unlike the previous CSI games, this game was developed by Telltale Games, rather than 369 Interactive...
(2006) - Bone: The Great Cow RaceBone: The Great Cow RaceBone: The Great Cow Race is the third video game endeavor by Telltale Games, and the second episode of the Bone adventure game series. It was released in April 2006 after approximately seven months of production...
(2006) - Sam & Max Save the WorldSam & Max Save the WorldSam & Max Save the World is a graphic adventure video game developed by Telltale Games. The game was originally released as Sam & Max: Season One before being renamed in early 2009. Save the World was developed in episodic fashion, comprising six episodes that were released for Microsoft Windows...
(Oct 2006–Apr 2007, 6 episodes) - CSI: Hard EvidenceCSI: Hard EvidenceCSI: Hard Evidence is a computer game based on the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation television series. This is the fifth CSI game released, including CSI: Miami....
(2007) - Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space (Nov 2007–April 2008, 5 episodes)
- Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive PeopleStrong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive PeopleStrong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People is an episodic point-and-click adventure game developed by Telltale Games based on the Homestar Runner web cartoon, with Strong Bad as the lead character. A total of five episodes were released for WiiWare and Windows between August 11, 2008 and...
(Aug-Dec 2008, 5 episodes) - Wallace & Gromit's Grand AdventuresWallace & Gromit's Grand AdventuresWallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures is an episodic series of adventure games by Telltale Games based around the characters of Wallace and Gromit created by Nick Park and Aardman Animations. The first episode was released on March 24, 2009 for the PC...
(Mar-Jul 2009, 4 episodes) - Tales of Monkey IslandTales of Monkey IslandTales of Monkey Island is a 2009 graphic adventure video game developed by Telltale Games and LucasArts. It is the fifth game in the Monkey Island series, released nearly a decade after the previous installment, Escape from Monkey Island. Developed for Windows and the Wii console, the game was...
(Jul-Dec 2009, 5 episodes) - CSI: Deadly IntentCSI: Deadly IntentCSI: Deadly Intent is a computer game based on the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation television series. It's the seventh CSI game released, including CSI: Miami and CSI: NY...
(2009) - Sam & Max: The Devil's PlayhouseSam & Max: The Devil's PlayhouseSam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse is a graphic adventure video game developed by Telltale Games. It is the third "season" of the Sam & Max episodic series created by Telltale Games, following Sam & Max Save the World and Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space...
(Apr-Aug 2010, 5 episodes) - Hector: Badge of CarnageHector: Badge of CarnageHector: Badge of Carnage is a trilogy of point-and-click adventure games produced by Straandlooper, an animation studio / developer based in Northern Ireland, and Telltale Games. It is based on the adventures of the character Hector: Fat Arse of the Law, a hard-nosed and soft-bellied Detective...
(June 2010-Fall 2011, 3 episodes) - Nelson Tethers: Puzzle AgentNelson Tethers: Puzzle AgentNelson Tethers: Puzzle Agent is an adventure/puzzle game by Telltale Games, in collaboration with Graham Annable. It is the first game to come out of Telltale's pilot project. It was released on June 30, 2010...
(June 2010) - CSI: Fatal ConspiracyCSI: Fatal ConspiracyCSI, Fatal Conspiracy is a video game based on the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation television series. It's the ninth CSI game released, including CSI: Miami and CSI: NY...
(October 2010) - Poker Night at the InventoryPoker Night at the InventoryPoker Night at the Inventory is a poker video game developed by Telltale Games. It features four crossover characters: Tycho from the Penny Arcade webcomic, Max from the Sam & Max franchise, the Heavy-class from Team Fortress 2, and Strong Bad from the Homestar Runner web series...
(November 2010) - CSI: UnsolvedCSI: UnsolvedCSI: Unsolved is a video game based on the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation television series. It's the tenth CSI game released, including CSI: Miami and CSI: NY...
(November 2010) - Back to the Future: The GameBack to the Future: The GameBack to the Future: The Game is a graphic adventure video game based on the Back to the Future film franchise. The game was developed by Telltale Games as part of a licensing deal with Universal Pictures. Bob Gale, co-creator, co-writer and co-producer of the film trilogy, assisted Telltale in...
(December 2010-June 2011, 5 episodes) - Puzzle Agent 2 (June 2011)
- Jurassic Park: The GameJurassic Park: The GameJurassic Park: The Game is an episodic, downloadable third-person adventure video game developed by Telltale Games that is based on the Jurassic Park franchise. The game, which is the latest of several Universal/Telltale deals, was originally announced in June 2010 before being revealed in the...
(November 2011, 4 episodes) - Untitled The Walking DeadThe Walking Dead (video game)The Walking Dead is an upcoming episodic video game based on Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead graphic novel series. The game is under development by Telltale Games. The Walking Dead was planned for release in the fourth quarter of 2011...
game (Fall 2011) - Untitled FablesFables (comics)Fables is a comic book series created by writer Bill Willingham, published by DC Comics's Vertigo imprint beginning in 2002. The series deals with various characters from fairy tales and folklore – referring to themselves as "Fables" – who have been forced out of their Homelands by "The...
game (TBD) - Untitled King's QuestKing's QuestKing's Quest is an adventure game series created by the American software company Sierra Entertainment. It is widely considered a classic series from the golden era of adventure games. Following the success of its first installment, the series was primarily responsible for building the reputation...
game (TBD) - Untitled Law & Order: Los AngelesLaw & Order: Los AngelesLaw & Order: LA, originally titled Law & Order: Los Angeles, is an American police procedural and legal drama television series set in Los Angeles, where it was produced...
game (2011)
External links
- Telltale Games' website
- Official Telltale Games YouTube channel
- Interview with CEO Dan Connors at GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
- Interview at the GamesCom in Cologne
- Interview following the launch of Tales of Monkey Island