Telltale Games (2018–present)

LCG Entertainment, Inc.

Company type	Private
Industry	Video games
Founded	December 27, 2018 (2018-12-27)
Headquarters	Malibu, California , United States
Key people	Jamie Ottilie (CEO), Brian Waddle (Chief Revenue Officer)
Products	Video games (including The Wolf Among Us, Batman series, Puzzle Agent)
Owner	Athlon Games (stakeholder)
Number of employees	30–35 (planned by end of 2020)

LCG Entertainment, Inc., operating under the name Telltale Games, is a United States-based video game developer and publisher headquartered in Malibu, California. Established following the closure and assignment filing of the original Telltale Games in October 2018, LCG Entertainment acquired a significant portion of the original company's intellectual properties, including its branding, game titles, and licenses. In August 2019, the company announced its intention to revive and re-release these games.

Establishment

The initial Telltale Games rose to fame through episodic adventure titles, most notably the 2012 breakthrough The Walking Dead, which enabled the studio to secure prominent licenses such as Batman and Fables. However, an emphasis on releasing numerous titles rather than focusing on quality led to several underwhelming projects and internal challenges. Leadership changes in 2017 aimed to enhance quality with The Walking Dead: The Final Season, but after unsuccessful negotiations in September 2018, Telltale abruptly ceased operations and filed for assignment by October 2018. Licensed properties like The Walking Dead were reclaimed by their respective IP holders; Skybound Entertainment completed the final season utilizing former Telltale staff members.

LCG Entertainment was officially formed on December 27, 2018, with Jamie Ottilie appointed as CEO and Brian Waddle as Chief Revenue Officer. Starting February 2019, LCG engaged in discussions with Sherwood Partners to obtain remaining Telltale licenses and game assets. After more than six months of intricate negotiations involving various parties, LCG secured funding from Athlon Games along with industry veterans Chris Kingsley, Lyle Hall, and Tobias Sjögren. The acquisition was finalized in August 2019, with Athlon Games becoming a stakeholder. In February 2023, Telltale secured $8 million in funding from Hiro Capital and Skybound Entertainment.

On August 28, 2019, LCG declared its acquisition of most of Telltale’s assets and resumed operations under the Telltale Games brand. Their strategy included republishing the existing catalog through publishing partner Athlon Games and providing ongoing digital platform support for the acquired titles.

Some former employees called on the new entity to address outstanding debts or boycott its products; Ottilie clarified that LCG has no connections to previous management nor financial means to settle past obligations. The company planned to maintain a streamlined team of approximately 30–35 staff members by the end of 2020, initially relying on freelance and outsourced contributors before expanding internally. Ottilie stressed a commitment to sustainable growth to avoid repeating past mistakes: "We cannot right the wrongs of the former company," but invited critics to evaluate based on forthcoming projects.

To avoid issues like excessive crunch time experienced previously, LCG pledged to foster a stable work environment with deliberate growth embedded in its culture. While continuing episodic release models pioneered by the original studio, development treats each series as a complete game: "If we do release the game episodically, all episodes will be finished prior to launching the first."

Development and publishing

Although licenses for franchises such as The Walking Dead and Stranger Things reverted back to their original owners, the new Telltale retains rights for The Wolf Among Us, Batman, and owns intellectual property related to Puzzle Agent. In December 2019, Telltale announced two new projects: a re-release of Batman: The Telltale Series and Batman: The Enemy Within bundled as the "Shadows Edition," which includes a noir-inspired graphical filter along with various quality-of-life enhancements. This filter was also made available as paid downloadable content for existing owners. The second announcement at The Game Awards 2019 revealed The Wolf Among Us 2, a sequel revived by Telltale with AdHoc Studio—comprising former Telltale personnel—handling narrative design and cinematics while Telltale focuses on gameplay development and transitioning production to the Unreal Engine.

At The Game Awards 2021, it was revealed that Telltale would co-develop The Expanse: A Telltale Series alongside Deck Nine. The first episode launched in July 2023 with bi-weekly releases continuing through September; this was followed by the Archangel downloadable content released in November.

In August 2023, Telltale expanded by acquiring Flavourworks, recognized for interactive film experiences such as Erica, appointing CEO Zachary Slatter as managing director for European operations. In October 2023, despite confirming workforce reductions due to market conditions, Telltale reassured stakeholders that development on scheduled projects remains ongoing.

During 2023's production of The Wolf Among Us 2, AdHoc Studio withdrew following creative control disagreements after completing the full script during prototyping. Subsequently, AdHoc redirected focus toward their own title, Dispatch. The precise extent of AdHoc’s contributions to the sequel remains uncertain.