New Telltale Games Studio Is Working to Have a "Non-Crunch Work Environment"

The team behind the newly revived Telltale Games is working to continue the legacy of the developer's narrative-driven games, but it's also working to make sure the studio is a "non-crunch work environment." Jamie Ottilie, the CEO of LCG Entertainment and one of the heads of the new Telltale, spoke to IGN about the process of bringing Telltale back up from its previous state and discussed some of the challenges of relaunching the developer and continuing to develop new games.

It was reported earlier in the year that Telltale would be making a comeback by way of LCG Entertainment. Ottilie and Brian Waddle are heading up the company with new talent on board as well as talent from the former version of Telltale. It's the same name, but it's also a different company on the inside now, and that had some of Telltale's longtime customers concerned about what the developer might be like post-revival, especially after the reports of crunch-heavy working conditions and other issues raised by former employees.

"All we can do is be forthcoming; we can't control whether critics hear or believe us," Ottilie told IGN. "The truth is we are a new company — with different ownership and management, and a different approach as to how we structure a studio in today's market."

Ottilie's new team is also quite aware of the problems Telltale faced previously regarding the crunch culture that stemmed from multiple problems during development. To avoid these problems this time around, the company has placed a focus on avoiding another crunch culture repeat.

"We are taking a measured and methodical approach to growth in order to ensure we can provide a stable, non-crunch work environment," Ottilie continued. "We are building this into our culture from the outset."

Telltale just recently announced the release of The Wolf Among Us 2 which should be a strong and reassuring start for anyone who was concerned about what kinds of games the new company will put out. The sequel to The Wolf Among Us is a game people have been asking for ever since playing the first one, though its development was thrown into question during the upheaval of Telltale.

Telltale has also released a new version of its Batman games called The Telltale Batman Shadows Edition.