Telltale Games is one of the most widely-known game studios in the industry, and is often credited for re-popularizing the graphic adventure genre. All of the company’s titles in recent years have arrived on Android, among other platforms (like iOS, Windows, PS4, Xbox ONe, and some on Mac). Unfortunately, Telltale announced a 25% reduction of staff today, affecting 90 individuals.Telltale Games CEO Pete Hawley said, “Our industry has shifted in tremendous ways over the past few years. The realities of the environment we face moving forward demand we evolve, as well, reorienting our organization with a focus on delivering fewer, better games with a smaller team.” A representative for the company said the restructuring will not affect previously announced games, like the upcoming seasons for The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, and Game of Thrones. Telltale did not state the exact reasons for the reduction.
In response to the news, the hashtag #TelltaleJobs began trending on Twitter, with various game studios offering positions to former Telltale employees. Some of these include Ghost Story (formerly known as Irrational Games, developer of the Bioshock series), Ubisoft, Gearbox Software (maker of the Borderlands series), and Respawn (developer of Titanfall).
Massive layoffs like this are always terrible for the people involved, but it’s nice to see other game studios reach out to help the former Telltale staff. By Helen Clark on
