Don’t call them, they’ll call you. Or maybe they won’t. They’re kind of busy.
Speaking at GamesBeat 2014 today in San Francisco, Telltale Games head Dan Connors talked about his studio’s success after humble beginnings, back when it had a much harder time securing licenses for intellection properties for its adventure games.
The developer based its first games in the mid-2000s on recognizable but niche brands like the Bone comic books and the Homestar Runner Internet video series. “There were times when we were moving a little slower than we would have hoped,” Connors said. “But it all paid off.”
These days, Telltale, which once dreamed about getting licenses for Family Guy and The Simpsons, creates games based on some of the most recognizable brands in TV and film, including Back to the Future, The Walking Dead, and Jurassic Park.
Above: Clementine dispatches a walker in The Walking Dead Season 2, Episode 4: Amid the Ruins.
“I think we’re in a position now where we’re having IP come to us, and we’re saying we can’t actually accommodate you,” Phil Sanderson of IDG Ventures, a Telltale investor, said during the session.
Connors attributes the studio’s success with the quality of its storytelling. The developer has gathered a staff of writers with experience in TV and games.
“We’re really investing in building out a serious writing staff with serious, experienced writers,” Connors said.
You can watch Connors and Sanderson’s entire talk on our Twitch page. Telltale is working on a new episode game series based on the fantasy world of the hit Game of Thrones series on HBO. Connors declined to give any new information on the project during the panel, but he said that new details are coming soon.