Telltale Games May Be Switching to the Unity Engine

The studio may be abandoning their own engine for future projects.

By L.B. Lubomski
June 29 2018, 12:45 PM EDT

Telltale Games has no doubt made some amazing games over the years. Fans have enjoyed their takes on many franchises, such as getting to see Clementine grow up in The Walking Dead, navigating political intrigue and betrayal in Game of Thrones, and even solving a murder mystery in the world of Fables.

While all of these games have been outstanding in their own right, one common feature has kept them from reaching their full potential: the company's decade-old in-house game engine known as the Telltale Tool. Although the engine has been upgraded several times in recent years, it is beginning to show its age and limitations here in 2018.

There has been a lot of evidence suggesting that the change to Unity is definitely happening for the company. Several job postings have gone up in recent months seeking programmers with Unity experience and, as it turns out, Unity's own boss John Riccitiello is a member of Telltale's board of directors. Variety also recently published an article on Telltale Games and its many on-going internal changes, where trusted sources all but confirmed the engine switch.

Multiple sources also tell Variety that the days are numbered for Telltale Tool, the company’s in-house game engine. The studio is shifting to Unity for its projects (both detailed by Variety’s source and referenced in job listings), with the final season of “The Walking Dead” the last to premiere on the old engine. “Stranger Things” is slated to be the first Unity engine project, according to multiple sources.

With this change, it would seem that The Walking Dead: The Final Season will not only be the end of Clementine's journey, but also the end of the Telltale Tool. This may also explain the massive delay on second season of The Wolf Among Us, which hasn't seen the light of day since 2013 and was apparently almost cancelled altogether.

While it is sad to see the Telltale Tool being retired after so many great titles, it is a necessary step for the studio to move forward. Here's hoping that the quality of the gameplay in their games will soon match the quality of the storytelling.

About the Author

L.B. Lubomski

Lawrence "L.B." Lubomski is an avid horror movie fan, gamer, musician, historian, and aspiring author. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, L.B. was exposed to the works of local filmmaker and godfather of zombie cinema George A. Romero early on. He has since developed a particular fondness for Italian zombie/cannibal and slasher films. This passion for horror extends into other media, from survival horror video games such as Resident Evil to horror-inspired musical artists. In his spare time, L.B. pursues many interests including building his collection of vinyl records, action figures, and vintage video games as well as drumming in various local bands.