Veteran Game Executives Are Buying Telltale Games

By Amit Chowdhry ● Aug 28, 2019
  • LCG Entertainment has announced that it is acquiring the assets and IP of Telltale Games and is planning to reissue specific back catalog and new titles

LCG Entertainment — a holding company that is going to be doing business as Telltale Games — announced it is buying the defunct studio’s assets, trademarks, technology, and select intellectual properties with the intention of re-releasing select games from the studio’s back catalog and developing new games in some of the company’s best-selling brands.

The acquisition is being led by Jamie Ottilie and Brian Waddle. And the deal was made possible by a group of investors and advisors including well-known names in the gaming industry such as Chris Kingsley, Lyle Hall, Tobias Sjögren, Athlon Games (as a shareholder and publishing partner), and several other additional partners.

Telltale Games was originally founded in 2004 and the company became synonymous with storytelling and pioneered the episodic game format. After a string of successful and award-winning game series based on television and film licenses and original IPs such as The Walking Dead, Batman: The Telltale Series, The Wolf Among Us, and Tales from the Borderlands.

“All of us were big fans of the games Telltale created, as we strongly believe in games as a storytelling medium and nobody did it better,” said Ottilie (new Telltale Games CEO). “Even now, when you see a game with strong narrative, it’s always compared to Telltale, so it’s no surprise that players and industry colleagues alike mourned the studio’s closure. We believe there is still so much life to the brand and its franchises, and we look forward to building upon the company’s storytelling legacy.”

The new Telltale Games will be based in Malibu with a satellite office in Corte Madera, California. And day-to-day operations will be handled by Ottilie and Waddle — with Ottilie responsible for studio management and technology and Waddle running business development, finance, and operations. Both will also work closely with Athlon — who will serve as the marketing and publishing partner on most of the company’s back catalog and new releases freeing up Telltale to focus on development and studio growth.

Plus key talent from the original company has also been hired or contracted by the new Telltale. The new company is going to be based on a streamlined structure with plans for strategic growth and a focus on its core and new IP’s. However, no further details are being released about the Telltale assets purchase price. In the next few weeks, news regarding the reissue of specific back catalog titles and new games in existing IP’s will be announced

“There is still a huge fanbase of Telltale players and that’s one of the main reasons we decided to make this investment,” added Waddle (new Telltale Games CRO). “It’s hard to see your favorite games disappear or not get the sequels they deserve, so we thank everyone for their patience and support. We’ve got some exciting things to share soon. We’ll try not to keep them waiting too long, but we think fans will be pleased.”