File:The Rise and Fall of Telltale Games.webm

English: Over the weekend, the unthinkable was announced. Telltale games, once a grand player in the exciting world of adventure game development, has laid off the vast majority of its staff in a majority studio closure.

In the wake of this closure, now seems like the perfect time to explore the history of Telltale, as we all learn a little about the creators of some of the most enjoyable and emotionally impactful adventure titles in recent years.

It's not an exaggeration to suggest that Telltale helped usher in a renaissance for adventure games in general. Once a genre that most people deemed to be obsolete, adventure games and walking simulators have since proven that there really is a place in the modern gaming landscape for exciting narrative-driven gaming experiences.

That said, it would be unjust to ignore the studio's toxic working environment. Telltale made fantastic work, but at a cost, as developers across the studio were forced to work long hours for inadequate pay, all in an effort to line the pockets of the company's board of directors.

There's a lesson for all of us int he closure of Telltale. Hard work is important, but pushing too far, too fast? That can lead to burnout. Telltale has shown the world just why it's important to work at a sensible pace, and not overwhelm yourself.

Here's hoping the many displaced developers from Telltale will find a new home elsewhere. Considering that Telltale was formed by ex-Lucasarts employees, there's a precedent for other studios wanting to continue on in the legacy of making great adventure titles.

Our video on the Mario Cram School is still scheduled for this Friday, but if it slips a little, know that it's because we added this video to our schedule last minute. We probably can get the Mario video finished by Friday, but considering the moral we've taken from Telltale's closure, we might need to take things at a more sensible pace instead!

That said, there's also another Kotor's Soapbox coming on Wednesday. Yeah, maybe we are taking on a bit much here...

Lots of love, BretonStripes (https://twitter.com/bretonstriped) and Kotor (https://twitter.com/kotorcomics)

Title music by Tee Lopes (https://twitter.com/teelopesmusic)

Incidental music: Drone in D by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Video sources: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/telltale-games-picks-up-new-funding https://variety.com/2018/gaming/news/ousted-ceo-sues-telltale-games-1202848129/ https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lionsgate-invests-in-leading-game-developer-telltale-games-300040182.html https://www.brunerhouse.com/blog/2018/9/21/telltale-closure

https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/20/17130056/telltale-games-developer-layoffs-toxic-video-game-industry