Telltale Games CEO Kevin Bruner says the studio's partnership with Lionsgate, announced earlier today, will aid it in the development of "Super Shows," which will combine interactive content with "scripted, television-style content."
Bruner told Entertainment Weekly that neither the interactive nor the scripted segments will take precedence in Super Shows, saying that both are "first-class citizens during the writing process." The nature of their production will enable a more "predictable" release schedule, but also a slower one than conventional Telltale games, "to allow newer audiences time to consume and discuss both aspects of the show across their game consoles, tablets, mobile phones and computers."
The first Super Show is an original IP, presumably the one Bruner referenced in January, which he said is being developed with a "world-class creative partner." He said it's important that Telltale maintains some form of ownership of the Super Shows it develops, but he also left open the possibility of basing some on existing IPs later down the road.
Telltale and Lionsgate "share many similar ideas about the future of scripted entertainment," and the partnership will facilitate this new direction. "Successfully bringing a Super Show to market requires more than just game development and television acumen. It needs an entire integrated development, production and publishing strategy," Bruner said. "We felt Telltale and Lionsgate are both best in class at what we do and we’re eager to combine our efforts and compliment our skills."
As for the obvious question—the possibility of a Telltale game based on a Lionsgate property, like Hunger Games, Mad Men, or Orange Is the New Black—Bruner would only say that it's "feasible."
"We have a ton of respect for the IP they own and control," he said. "We will continue to explore how we can work together on some of their IP just as we have been doing for some time, but there's nothing to announce right now."
