Telltale is trying to build a crunch-free studio, The Wolf Among Us 2 completely restarting development

By Samuel Tolbert
published

The new Telltale wants to do things differently.

The Wolf Among Us
The Wolf Among Us (Image credit: Telltale Games)

What you need to know

  • Telltale Games was revived by LCG Entertainment after the original company closed.
  • The new Telltale is trying to make a crunch-free studio.
  • The first new project under the new Telltale is a reboot of the The Wolf Among Us 2.

After Telltale Games began shutting down, it was eventually restarted by LCG Entertainment, who purchased Telltale's assets. While the new Telltale is still growing, it appears that leadership wants to avoid the mistakes that led to problems with the original company, including crunch.

In an interview with IGN, Telltale said "All we can do is be forthcoming; we can't control whether critics hear or believe us. The truth is we are a new company — with different ownership and management, and a different approach as to how we structure a studio in today's market." Telltale also stated that "We are taking a measured and methodical approach to growth in order to ensure we can provide a stable, non-crunch work environment. We are building this into our culture from the outset."

At the Game Awards 2019, The Wolf Among Us 2 was announced to be back in development. This game is a complete reboot of the cancelled project and while several developers from the original team are working on this new version, it's being built in an engine based on Unreal Engine technology. Telltale is working with Adhoc Entertainment on the game. AdHoc is made up of several ex-Telltale developers, including some of the directors and writers for the The Wolf Among Us.

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Samuel Tolbert
Samuel Tolbert

Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter @SamuelTolbert.

4 Comments
  • Crunch free studio? Is this even possible?
  • I think it's possible. I think it all comes down to proper planning. If management is willing to take the proper steps and methodologies then why not?
    Development doesn't need to have crunch period whether it's gaming or otherwise. I really hope this works out for them.
  • Yeah, but the problem with saying that is plans almost never work out every single time. Especially something that is abstract sometimes as making playable art. I think you might not have as serious pressure as other studios, but deadlines will happen and cause pressure to finish. I hope it does work out for them as well. The gaming industry is rough. I'm not sure I would be cut out for it.
  • Seems they dont like potato chips.