Telltale raises funding for subsequent batch of narrative video games

Telltale has raised a brand new spherical of funding for its narrative-based video video games like The Wolf Among Us 2 and The Expanse.

The Series A cash got here from Hiro Capital and Skybound Entertainment. This funding will assist Telltale deliver its first new video games to market, such because the highly-anticipated The Expanse: A Telltale Series, slated for launch this Summer, and The Wolf Among Us 2. The funding quantity wasn’t disclosed.

“We are honored to have the boldness of Hiro Capital, a fund that’s dedicated to the way forward for the video games trade, and that of our colleagues at Skybound Entertainment,” stated Jamie Ottilie, CEO at Telltale, in an announcement. “It’s each a pleasure and a pure match to be affiliated with firms that share our dedication to narrative video games and transmedia leisure.”

This funding pairs Telltale, a pioneer within the episodic narrative journey style, with well-known sport trade pioneer Sir Ian Livingstone (CBE). Knighted final 12 months for his companies to the web video games trade, Livingstone is finest often called the co-founder of the twenty million-selling Fighting Fantasy collection of narrative role-playing books and for co-founding two billion-dollar sport firms, Games Workshop and Eidos Interactive. Together with the Hiro Capital group, he has cofounded or backed greater than $9 billion in main video games, sports activities, and expertise firms.

“The guiding tenets of nice storytelling and enjoyable gameplay have at all times been on the coronary heart of every part I’ve constructed or invested in over the previous fifty years. I’m delighted to be backing the brand new Telltale and their imaginative and prescient to construct the following era of narrative journey video games,” stated Livingstone, in an announcement.

Telltale and Skybound Entertainment first partnered on the extraordinarily profitable The Walking Dead collection of episodic video games primarily based on Skybound’s well-liked comedian books in 2012. The Walking Dead episodes launched over the course of 6 years, with Skybound appearing as writer since 2018.

“Telltale and Skybound have an extended and extremely profitable historical past collectively that eternally modified the best way tales are advised in video video games,” stated David Alpert, CEO, Skybound Entertainment, in an announcement. “It has been simply over 10 years, lots of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} and over 100 Game of the Year awards since Telltale launched the acclaimed first title in The Walking Dead collection. We proceed to consider within the energy of narrative gaming and this funding will enable us to help Telltale in telling much more wonderful tales.”

Relaunched in 2019, the brand new Telltale is concentrated on constructing an organization that respects the works and repute of the previous firm whereas striving to be extra environment friendly, versatile and sustainable within the present trade atmosphere and past. A strategic and integral a part of that plan is partnering with the most effective groups, expertise and IPs to deliver nice tales to life by way of distributed growth.

One instance of that plan in motion is the collaboration taking place with The Expanse: A Telltale Series. Deck Nine Games is main the event, supported by the chief group at Telltale to create a brand new story in The Expanse universe created by James S.A. Corey. This bringing collectively of key expertise, wealthy IPs, artistic management and a shared dedication to storytelling is core to the Telltale’s mission.

“Together with our excellent companions at Deck Nine, we’re keen to point out our followers how we’ve honored the Telltale legacy and developed the episodic narrative style for which the corporate is finest identified,” continued Ottilie. ”These investments will assist us understand that imaginative and prescient.”