Update Apr 8, 2016: Telltale have announced that their first big published game will be 7 Days To Die on console.
Well, that’s a little less exciting than I was expecting. As reported yesterday, Telltale have started advertising their publishing arm with a new Twitter account and a few teaser images. Turns out that, rather than some new adventure game or the start of their big plans revolving around game/TV combos, it’s (perhaps predictably) exactly what it says on the out of date tin of mouldy beans that’s all you’ve got left to eat this month: a game they’re publishing. That game is 7 Days To Die, a popular world-modding/crafting/zombie-killing survive ’em up, and they’ll be bringing it to consoles.
This is how much changes in a few years after making one of the best PC games ever.
Here’s their live-action trailer for it, explaining that whole angle:
Not exactly an episode from ABC, but pretty good as these things go, and gets the point across – 7DTD puts the focus on building a shelter and trying to hold out in it during the far deadlier night period. Or, at least, it did when I last played it a year and change back. Based on the new screenshots in the announcement post for the deal, it’s changed quite a bit since then, and is certainly looking a whole lot nicer.
However, can’t say I’m not slightly disappointed that I’ve basically baited myself into writing about a console publishing deal for an Early Access zombie survival game when I thought it was something a tad more interesting. Oh well, ever onwards. It doesn’t look like Telltale have much to do with the PC version of the game, but if you’re interested in it it’s on Steam now and has been receiving regular updates since it went into playable alpha in December 2013. It’s also made by a company called The Fun Pimps. Which is nice.
Original story Apr 7, 2016:Telltale games are teasing something and it looks pretty nasty. A new Twitter account, called Telltale Publishing, has been set up and has tweeted a pair of teaser images for what looks to be a new game. They’re accompanied by the phrase “”Have you ever had a nightmare… That never ended?” and seem to depict a pair of live-action stills – first a shed then a shot of some blood on a window with someone standing behind it. Mysterious, confusing and bringing up more questions than it answers, you’d be forgiven for assuming they were developing the next Walking Dead season finale.
Here’s what the new account has tweeted so far:
"Have you ever had a nightmare…" pic.twitter.com/F2kY7j9Nl7
— Telltale Publishing (@TelltalePublish) 6 April 2016
"Have you ever had a nightmare… That never ended?" pic.twitter.com/DyrD35jmM9
— Telltale Publishing (@TelltalePublish) 6 April 2016
Along with RTing Telltale saying that more information will be coming today. Never one to wait, here’s some lovely speculation:
It all looks a bit Walking Dead, but given this is a new account with relation to a new aspect of Telltale’s business – i.e. publishing – it’s unlikely to be one of the IPs they already have access to. There’s two main areas of possibility: that this is someone else’s game Telltale are putting their name, PR and resources behind, or it’s part of the first Super Show that Telltale teased last year.
The former is fairly simple, and will involve them publishing what is likely another adventure game from a smaller developer they’ve shacked up with. It’s presumably horror themed, possibly with FMV or other live-action sequences. That would be exciting, but not exactly groundbreaking.
The latter, however, is a bit more interesting. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly last year, Telltale head-honcho Kevin Bruner talked about the Super Shows they’re making. These are combo pieces which integrate games and TV closely, the two developed in tandem and linking to each other. It sounds similar to what Quantum Break did recently, but released episodically across a series of months, as is Telltale’s style.
The first was planned as an original IP with a “world class creative partner” – and was confirmed as being worked on when that interview was published well over a year ago. If these Super Shows are as big a departure from Telltale’s usual output as implied, as well as involving such a wider range of media, then a new Twitter account would make sense for the projects. On the other hand, calling it Telltale Publishing would be an odd choice. You’d also think they’d want to fall a little further from the undead tree if they’re making a point of striking out on their own.
More to follow later today, we’ll keep this post updated with the latest info. Let us know in the comments what you would like to see.