Ever since the humble release of its own rendition of The Walking Dead back in 2012, Telltale Games has become synonymous with powerful interactive storytelling, but it looks as though the studio’s next project will take that mantra one step further.
That’s because Lionsgate Entertainment, the studio behind such teen-oriented franchises as The Hunger Games and Divergent, has today announced plans to invest in Telltale ahead of a new partnership. Such an arrangement will see Lionsgate’s Jon Feltheimer join the studio’s board of directors.
In a statement provided to Entertainment Weekly, Telltale’s newly-appointed CEO Kevin Bruner touched upon the drive behind the new, genre-blending project, which bears some semblance to Microsoft’s Quantum Break in its amalgamation of choice-based gameplay and episodic TV content.
“Our goal is to create products that have a legitimate chance of winning both a Golden Globe and a Game of the Year,” Bruner explained. “This means both aspects of the productions must be first class work.
“Each Super Show episode [the interactive game and the scripted episode] will be released as a package designed so that you can consume the interactive portion or watch the scripted show portion in any order you’d like.”
It’s unclear at this early stage whether the partnership will have Telltale adapt another licensed property or pursue something totally original; whatever the case, the studio has more than proven its worth when it comes to delivering engaging stories. Currently, Telltale is doubling down on new entries in the Tales from the Borderlands and Game of Thrones series, before moving on to add a new season to The Walking Dead later in the year, during which time the studio will launch the story-driven Minecraft game, too.
All in all, Telltale Games isn’t exactly short for work. We’ll have all the information pertaining to the studio’s new-fangled partnership with Lionsgate as we learn more. But for now, tell us, do you think this approach that divides narrative across two distinct mediums is a good path for the companies to pursue? Let us know below.
