Update: We’ve learned from a tweet recently that several of Telltale’s partners have expressed interest in helpting The Walking Dead: The Final Season reach completion.
— Telltale Games (@telltalegames) September 24, 2018
This is good news for many fans of the game who already bought the title and are now wondering if the series will see any closure. While Telltale Games cannot promise anything, we can only hope for the best.
Original: We learned of very sad news last week: Telltale is shutting its doors. This came as a shock to many fans, especially with the recent release of the first episode of The Walking Dead: The Final Season. Sadly, that season may now go unfinished.
The news comes directly from the lead voice actor of the Walking Dead series, Clementine voice actor Melissa Hutchinson. Her voice has popped up in many of Telltale’s projects, including The Wolf Among Us, Puzzle Agent, and Back to the Future. After the news of Telltale’s closure broke, Hutchinson went online to post a very sad farewell to the beleaguered company.
Hutchison’s Statement
Hello friends. I am so very deeply moved by the messages of love that I, and the folks from @telltalegames have been receiving. Yesterday was one of the toughest days ever. A lot of hearts were broken, including mine. Please read the attached. #TelltaleJobs #Clementine #TWD pic.twitter.com/Fb68z86j8e
— Melissa Hutchison (@Melyhutch) September 22, 2018
Hutchison clearly expresses her heartbreak over the news with a moving farewell to the fans and the company that helped establish her career. Sadly, it looks like her character’s journey will end with Episode 2‘s release on September 25. Fans wanted to see a conclusion after all of Clem’s suffering. However, short of a miracle, it looks like one more episode of The Walking Dead is all we’ll get.
Like the public, Hutchison seems to have been blindsided by the news and wasn’t aware of the closure until Telltale’s statement. Fans responded to her thanking her for her hard work and the memories. I have to admit, I was saddened to read her message. I truly feel for her and all the other employees and talent involved.
Statement from Telltale
— Telltale Games (@telltalegames) September 21, 2018
Pete Hawley, the CEO of Telltale Games, also issued the following statement:
“It’s been an incredibly difficult year for Telltale as we worked to set the company on a new course. Unfortunately, we ran out of time trying to get there. We released some of our best content this year and received a tremendous amount of positive feedback, but ultimately, that did not translate to sales. With a heavy heart, we watch our friends leave today to spread our brand of storytelling across the games industry.”
One key thing to take from all of this is that Telltale did say it will release details in the coming weeks about future releases. Could there be hope yet? We don’t know, and all we can do is wait and see. Sadly, future seasons of these franchises may not happen unless another studio steps in and purchases their IP and trademarks.
Speaking personally, my first experience with Telltale’s games was with The Wolf Among Us. From there I got drawn into The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones. Like so many, this new shocked and saddened me. Thanks again to Telltale for all the memories and for creating such engaging narrative stories that drew many players in on an emotional level. I wish all the employees and talent nothing but continued success and hope we get to see a conclusion to The Walking Dead and other key franchise.
Published: Sep 24, 2018 10:15 am