Highlights
Telltale Games has laid off employees working on The Wolf Among Us 2, adding to ongoing uncertainty surrounding the studio's major franchises.
The highly anticipated sequel to The Wolf Among Us has been plagued by various production problems, leading to a significant delay until 2024. Telltale Games attributed the layoffs to "market conditions," which may disappoint fans and raise concerns about the future of this esteemed franchise. Stay tuned for further updates.
Telltale Games, the developer and publisher, has officially confirmed layoffs among its employees working on The Wolf Among Us 2. Despite gaining popularity for its unique narrative-based gameplay, the company has faced numerous challenges over the past few years. While Telltale achieved success with its game based on The Walking Dead series and produced several acclaimed choose your own adventure games, it has struggled to remain financially stable. As a result, uncertainty continues to surround its major franchises.
In 2018, the studio came close to permanent closure, leading to the cancellation of The Wolf Among Us sequel. However, Telltale was saved and managed to revive the next installment in Bigby Wolf's story and his fantastical world. Unfortunately, the production of the game has been far from a fairytale. This year, The Wolf Among Us 2 experienced significant delays, pushing its release date back to 2024. Unfortunately, it appears that the production's difficulties are only worsening.
Freelance developer jjonahjonahson took to Twitter this week to announce that he and other members of The Wolf Among Us 2 team had been laid off by Telltale Games. Despite being bound by a non-disclosure agreement, he revealed that "most of" the team had been let go in September. Telltale Games has since confirmed these layoffs, but assures that there are no current plans to cancel any upcoming releases.
The layoffs were attributed to "market conditions" by Telltale Games, suggesting that funding was the primary factor. This comes as a surprise considering Telltale obtained additional funding earlier this year and successfully released all five episodes of The Expanse in recent months. It is possible that the sales of The Expanse did not meet expectations, prompting Telltale to streamline expenses, though no official explanation has been provided by the developer.
The Wolf Among Us is highly regarded as one of the top Telltale Games. Hence, fans may be disheartened by this news and its potential consequences. Despite not being officially cancelled, the significant delay and subsequent layoffs raise concerns for the sequel's future. It is advisable for gamers to remain vigilant for further updates. Currently, The Wolf Among Us 2 is scheduled for a 2024 launch on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: VentureBeat