Telltale Games: A Case Study

The Sudden Demise of Telltale
A Case Study on Telltale Games

The History of Telltale Games:

Telltale originated in 2004. Back then the CEO and founder Kevin Bruner and his team spearheaded their story rich games involving choice based decisions and play. Telltale was doing well and over the years have created hit games including, but not limited to: The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Wolf Among Us, Tales from the Borderlands, Batman, Jurassic Park, Minecraft, Back to the Future, Guardians of the Galaxy. The Walking Dead has been their favorite child for some time and they have created more under this title than any other title. Leap ahead years later and in March of 2017, Telltale founder Kevin Bruner announces that he will be leaving the company.

The co-founder, Dan Conners, takes control of the company as the new CEO. In September of 2017, the company hires on Pete Hawley. Pete Hawley is a former executive from Zynga, previous production lead with Fable studio Lionhead, and has worked with Sony and EA. On to November, Hawley cuts approximately 90 employees to create their name as “more completive as a developer and publisher.” In December Hawley rejects publicly that Telltale could be in trouble. In March of 2018, a report published through The Verge shows hostile management.

On September 20^th, management reports that more funding has come in and things are “going well.” AMC and Smilegate leave behind Telltale the same day. September 21^st, all but 25 of the 275 or more employees are fired with their only notice being the meeting that morning. September 24^th, one of the former employees, Vernie Roberts Jr., files against Telltale with a class-action lawsuit.

Value Proposition:

To make episodic games come to life at the hands of players. An emotional and narrative experience unlike anything else.

Their value proposition is fairly easy to comprehend and digest. Unfortunately, this is now irrelevant.

Cancellations, Reactions, and Backlash:

All games in production come to a screeching halt. Well all but one allegedly. The final season of The Walking Dead is still expected to be completed with the remaining team members. Fans that have been awaiting new releases like Stranger Things and a second season of Wolf Among Us are sorely disappointed and heartbroken. Some fans are outraged that after a year of new management, a part of their gaming preferences have been yanked out from under them as the eagerly paying consumer.

More so are the employees that were terminated with the little to no notice. Under Telltale Games' Website, they state that the employees receive many benefits included, but aren't limited to: 401 (k), insurance (including pet insurance), and Vision and Dental coverage. If discharged, the employee(s) are to receive a severance package and insurance(s) up to one month after termination. All to which no employee received, leading to the one class-action lawsuit.

Had I been in Their Marketing Team:

First off, there needed to be transparency. There was no transparency with the public or even the very employees that worked at Telltale. Everything came out all at once and crushed thousands with a single Twitter Statement. Publicly, more consistent updates should have been sent out to their audience. Simply just letting the fan base know that there are issues going on, that are trying to be fixed, can gain sympathy and assistance. Another possible avenue would be to expand access with different content tiers. Allow people to purchase more, specialized access, content, and/or production. Lastly, never leave your employees in the dark and wonder why there were so many issues when you can't be bothered to get their help. You're not your company without your workforce.

What are your thoughts?

How would you have handled this?

Continued links:

IGN - Failed Financing

Telltale Games Twitter Statement

Telltale Games' Website

Former Employee Class-Action Lawsuit

Timeline to Telltale Games by Gamespot

Toxic Management by The Verge

Week 2 - Getting Dirty with Tirdy

Getting Dirty with Tirdy

The Works of Tirdy Works

Published by Christine Turner

Mary Winchenbach, Owner

Here we have a brilliant company coming up in a fresh, steamy storm. You can't deny that Tirdy Works has won the hearts of current, future, and even the few past costumers. How can you not take a double look with Mary Winchenbach spear heading a company that as she states, "Ships shit everywhere." Regardless of whether or not this brown stuff makes you flash your pearly whites in amusement, Mary has made an impact on us as consumers and man are we eating this shit up. (Please don't actually eat any fecal matter of any kind.) Mary's pride and joy of Tirdy Works is based in the beautiful state of Maine. She collects, primarily, moose poop for these delightfully hilarious trinkets and decor. If you're still reading about this crappy business, then buckle up, there's more.

Though the company Tirdy Works is a fresh idea with a not-so-fresh product selection, the objective is clean and clear: to sell crap. Mary states in her interview that she sells each turd for around $5. She goes out into The Great Outdoors and find herself a moose and just follows them until they drop hundreds of specialized income for the company. If you're worried about the sanitary nature of these particular items, don't worry too much. All poop pieces are dehydrated and sealed with a protective waterproof coating before adding decorative features. Mary is a character with a lot of potty humor. She lives for the the laughter that her work brings people. Tons of puns is her other partner in crime while running this internet sensation. Here's Vice's Article Over Tirdy Works that incorporates some additional words from Mary. 

The two platforms used for Tirdy Works is Esty (as shown below) and through Facebook. 

The public is primarily in love with Mary's charisma, humor, and profitable poop. Some just think it's downright gross. Honestly, I can't blame those people, it's literal crap after all. Mary doesn't give a crap however, unless you're interested in buying. She'll sell you the biggest thing of bullshit you've ever seem. If my admiration for these works of art, then perhaps these testimonies will help:

Here we have our main outlier, who does seem to understand that this is pretty shitty:

Outside of this rapid word-of-mouth and free advertising, Mary's demeanor and precision in her elevator speech is what made her internet famous in 2018. Multiple news sources came to interview her during the recording of this spectacular sales pitch. You can watch it in the video added below or in the YouTube link posted here.

As a person who is also filled with sass and a smart ass, I feel that Mary is true to herself and her passions. I would try to retain some humor where appropriate in handling the current clientele. Certain matters that could arise would clearly need a more straightforward, strong, and serious response. Overall, I wouldn't be too worried with this crowd.

What Mary has taught me in her Tirdy Works is to be true to yourself, your brand, your passions, and have some fun in the process. Why not let your creativity shine through the bullshit of the world? I say roll with the crap as it flows and don't loose sight of what makes your reason for doing all that you do. Well, that's all I have for today. For now, enjoy Mary's life and gifts to all us. Shit happens guys.

To highlight on these unique creations, here are some of my personal favorites. 

Poo Poo Platter