Also, Jake is named one of Telltale’s heroes, which pretty much means this article is a celebration of Mojo. As well as a damning slap in the face of Telltale’s leadership. Kevin Bruner does not come away from it unscathed.
Look, we don’t need to repeat ourselves -- we’ve talked about Telltale losing its way for a while now, enough times I won’t even bother linking to any of it. That the company bleeds talent is well-known. I don’t think anyone from Mojo is left, and if somebody from Mojo gets fed up by a company, you know things are bad. Conversely, Andrew "Telarium" Langley is quoted in the article.
The whole thing is worth a read, even though it glosses over some of the true Telltale classics. Many of us maintain Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse was the company’s pinnacle. I’m currently replaying Tales of Monkey Island as part of a soon to be released Mojo feature. It’s excellent. The game. Probably not the feature.
Oh, and if you wonder who came up with “[X] will remember that”, give Bruner a thank-you.
Source: The Verge
I'm glad they're now given some creative freedom, so hopefully they can pull out of the slump they've gotten themselves into with the repetitive gameplay.
I'd love to enjoy a Telltale game again.
neon_git
I haven't enjoyed (nor, I think, even finished) a Telltale game since Wolf Among Us - I've felt like I'm playing the same tedious game over and over with a slightly different coat of paint. Whenever a new release came along I'd tell myself "this time it'll be different", but it never was. With the latest Batman I made a conscious decision to accept that Telltale just weren't making games for me anymore and walk away.
Then this article comes along leaving me cautiously optimistic for the future. I really wasn't expecting that. I hope they're able to become a studio that's creatively rewarding to work for and that produces games I'll look forward to playing again.
I agree with this (although I did spend a week or so catching up on the games a while back - they didn't really make an impact). Many people here have talked about this already over the years, and the article mentions this as well, but the biggest bummer was them just not moving away from the Walking Dead model. Back in the day, even with their limited budget, it felt that almost every new game would twist the formula to fit the vibe of the world they were presenting - Strong Bad had the goofy collectibles and arcade games, Puzzle Agent went for an entirely different puzzle style, Monkey Island went deep into the season wide story arcs and added inventory combinations, etc. Sometimes big changes, sometimes small, but every game felt unique and had its own creative voice while still fitting in their Telltale style. And I don't think I prefer the older titles because I care more about the old Lucas licenses - there was a time where I would happily dive and become obsessed with any new Telltale series, even franchises I didn't know or cared about (like Strong Bad). Hell, it's telling that I love both the Game of Thrones books and tv show and spend quite a lot of time talking about it with friends, and I can't tell you a single thing that happened in the game, even though I played it from beginning to end. Just a couple of years earlier and it would have been a dream Telltale game for me.
I'm also slightly optimistic for Telltale's future and curious to see where they go from here, but I have to admit that I can't get too invested now that all the old designers I knew and talked to in the forums have left the company (on bad terms no less). I hope they find their spark again, especially for the people still working there. If they come up with a game that would interest me even half as much as the classics did, well, that would be a nice bonus. We'll see I guess.
Then this article comes along leaving me cautiously optimistic for the future. I really wasn't expecting that. I hope they're able to become a studio that's creatively rewarding to work for and that produces games I'll look forward to playing again.
This makes me so happy. Sometimes I get scared everything there is to write or say about Monkey Island has already been written or said. Mojo bravely continuing doing what it does best is a gift in this dark and gritty Kevin Bruner world.
Glad he's gone but I feel sorry for all the layoffs.