Telltale Games Lays Off 25% Of Its Staff, No Current Projects Affected

As part of a company-wide restructuring, Telltale Games has laid off 25% of its staff, which amounts to ninety employees in total.

Releasing a statement, Telltale Games assured that the downsizing was to make them “more competitive as a developer and publisher of groundbreaking story-driven gaming experiences with an emphasis on high quality in the years ahead.”

Telltale Games CEO Pete Hawley said in a statement:

“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.”

Hawley was quick to stress that no projects currently in the pipeline will be impacted by these changes, which means the likes of The Wolf Among Us season 2 will be safe.

Interestingly, Telltale said that this restructuring will allow them to move “over to more proven technologies that will fast-track innovation in its core products.” That’s a complicated way of saying they will be evaluating their engine, which has been under fire for years for not always being entirely up to scratch. Recent games have been better, but still far from perfect.

This shouldn’t be taken as the death knell for the company, rather as a re-evaluation of their output. Since hitting the big time with The Walking Dead, they have adapted countless properties for their unique narrative style, including Game of Thrones, Borderlands, Minecraft, and Guardians of the Galaxy, including spin-offs and expansions for some of those mentioned. That’s a lot of stuff to take on so soon – both Tales From the Borderlands and Game of Thrones have second seasons to come at an unannounced date.

It’s a sad day for the laid-off staff, but the #TelltaleJobs hashtag on Twitter is providing some leads on new jobs for those affected. If you know any studio who’s hiring, let’s get these talented folks back in work.