Willingham’s Fables, Kirkman’s The Walking Dead confirmed as video games!
Telltale Games was hinting recently they had a big comic book property in the works for their next video game. The assumption was The Walking Dead was getting the gamer treatment. Well, it turns out we were right but that’s not the only comic franchise getting adapted, Bill Willingham’s Fables is also being developed by Telltale!
Telltale kept most of their new projects under wraps, holding off until their big conference tonight, except for their big Jurassic Park game that I’m particularly excited about. According to All Things Digital though, “Today, Telltale Games is announcing an exclusive worldwide publishing agreement with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to develop videogames for the comic-book series Fables, and an exclusive worldwide agreement to develop and publish a series of videogames based on the AMC cable network’s zombie hit The Walking Dead.”
Telltale was already working with Universal Pictures on their Jurassic Park and Back to the Future games. All Things Digital says, “Telltale’s games are written as a narrative or a cinematic adventure and are divided into five separate episodes. Players download a new one every four weeks for a six-month period. A season pass for a game, including all episodes, costs roughly $35.” It’s likely the Fables and The Walking Dead games will follow this model and in fact, will probably lend themselves very well to it considering readers are used to getting their stories in issues.
Steve Allison, SVP of marketing for Telltale Games is excited about the new projects and the possibilities technology affords them. “With these new blockbuster titles coming soon, Allison said the goal is to produce a title that hits one million digital downloads, and thinks The Walking Dead could become a $20 million to 30 million franchise if all goes well,” says All Things Digital.”
“‘See the movie, play the game’ doesn’t work anymore, Allison acknowledges, “but the way we make content, it does.” He also said his team is working closely with the filmmakers and screenwriters of the franchises. “We do want mass-market brands that have a lot of fans, but we want to pay homage to them.”
Is this not the best news you’ve heard all day or what?
Hiya! You know, I don't think we've confirmed what continuity we are following, but rest assured, we are paying VERY close attention to the comics as well! The concept art is amazing! I just wanted to chime in and say, trust us, this is not just a cheap cash in on the TV show. We have a very deep respect for the comic roots of this series and every intention of honoring it!
It definitely would have been nice if they'd mentioned Image but the game itself is going to be based on the TV show continuity and characters so I'm guessing that's why it only said AMC.
I think it's really telling that they refer to it as "AMC's hit the Walking Dead" and not Image Comics.