Telltale Games, the creators of The Wolf Among Us, have made significant staff cuts shortly after acquiring U.K. studio Flavourworks. The layoffs were attributed to “market conditions,” but the company intends to continue developing future games.
The news of the layoffs was reported by Polygon journalist Natalie Carpenter on October 5th. However, according to a former Telltale employee, most of the staff had already been laid off in early September. This has sparked calls for unionization within the gaming industry from former employees.
The staff reductions occurred just two months after Telltale’s acquisition of Flavourworks, a narrative-based game development studio focused on mobile platforms. The details of the acquisition were not disclosed.
This is the second time that Telltale Games has laid off a large number of employees, with 250 people losing their jobs in 2018. Currently, only 25 employees remain to fulfill prior commitments and partnerships.
Over the years, Telltale Games has developed popular narrative-driven titles such as Minecraft: Story Mode, Batman: A Telltale Series, and Tales From the Borderlands. Their game design, which emphasizes player choice and storytelling, received critical acclaim, particularly for The Walking Dead: A Telltale Series released in 2012.
The impact of these layoffs on the development of The Wolf Among Us 2 remains unclear. The game was originally scheduled for release in 2023 but has been delayed until 2024.
All of Telltale’s current projects are still in production, according to the company. Therefore, it is likely that The Wolf Among Us 2 will still be released as planned next year.
Dot Esports has reached out to Telltale Games for confirmation on whether these layoffs were the only ones planned or if more are expected in the near future.
Source: DOTESPORTS
