Developer Telltale Games has become the go-to studio for fans of strong storytelling in video games. Its episodically-released content has created some of the most compelling moments in recent video game history. The Walking Dead gave players some of the toughest moral choices around, whilst the ambitious The Wolf Among Us continued Telltale's spectacular form and was one of our top 10 games of 2014. Not only that, but Telltale has successfully taken on two major franchises in Tales from the Borderlands and Game of Thrones.
Even then, the developer already has two further games in the works. 2015 will see the release of a Telltale-crafted adventure game set in the Minecraft universe, whilst Telltale's CEO Kevin Bruner has also announced that the developer is working on an entirely new IP. The future looks bright, and there is plenty of room for Telltale to expand. Here's our pick of ten franchises we would love to see Telltale adapt in the future.
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Blade Runner
Ridley Scott's Blade Runner is one of the most highly regarded science fiction movies, and the universe - based upon Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - would seem a perfect fit for Telltale's game style. Playing the role of a replicant-hunting Blade Runner, there would be mysteries to solve, untrustworthy characters to examine and, most importantly, serious moral questions to be asked of the player character. Given there’s potentially another Blade Runner film coming at some point, there could be room for other media set in the universe. Warner Bros. could do worse than choosing Telltale to expand the story.
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Breaking Bad
When Telltale took on Game of Thrones, they took on one of the most well-loved television series around. Why not make an adaptation of another? Breaking Bad would provide players with a huge number of moral choices and tense relationships with the likes of Gus Fring and Jack Welker. The release of the recent spin-off series Better Call Saul, which focused on Walter White's small-time lawyer Saul Goodman, shows that there is still room for stories to be told within Breaking Bad's universe, even after the initial narrative has reached its conclusion.
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Saga
This is a no-brainer, really. Brian K. Vaughan, the writer of the comic series, has already spoken about his love of Telltale and the way the developer has adapted other works, and for good reason. Telltale has taken extreme care with other comic franchises, with both The Walking Dead and Fables-inspired The Wolf Among Us deserving of their critical acclaim. The series itself is a great fit as well: there are high stakes in play, characters with plenty of depth, and moral dilemmas and vulnerability galore.
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Ghostbusters
Telltale has already worked on a 1980s iconic movie franchise with Back to the Future, and Ghostbusters has similar potential. Its off-the-wall comedy, strong set of characters and fantastical storylines all lend themselves well to an episodic release schedule. The recent Tales from the Borderlands showed that Telltale still has its comedic chops, and given the on-the-pulse humor of Back to the Future it's clear Telltale knows how to handle well-loved comedy series.
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Dune
Frank Herbert’s magnum opus may seem an odd choice, but the novel series has already seen stranger video game adaptations. Dune has been adapted as a real-time strategy title three times – with the Westwood-developed Battle For Arakis serving as a template for Command & Conquer. Telltale has already had success with another epic story of family ties, political maneuvering and revenge with its recent Game of Thrones adaptation, and it would interesting to see whether that could be replicated with the unique universe of Dune.
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Next: 5 More Franchises We Want Telltale to Adapt
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WWE
Wrestling games have been a part of the video games industry since the '80s. However, the titles, as successful as they have been, have all focused on wrestling simulation - including the recent WWE 2K15. As any fan of professional wrestling can tell you, the wrestling itself is only a tiny portion of what makes WWE so popular. An episodic Telltale title focused on the branching storylines of the WWE could be very interesting, with quick time events making up the wrestling sections and player dialogue choices fulfilling gameplay for wrestlers outside of the ring.
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The Thing
One of the most important factors in The Walking Dead games' success is the way that they toy with the player's emotions and attachment to characters. Choosing who lives and who dies is integral to the immersion a player feels. John Carpenter's The Thing - based on the novella Who Goes There? - would be a strong choice to continue this: a group of researchers locked in an Antarctic facility with a terrifying alien creature able to mimic its human prey. With the player trying to work out who is infected and who is an innocent survivor, there's a lot of potential to build a fantastic story filled with tough moral choices.
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Friday the 13th
Although Telltale has toyed with horror in The Walking Dead, the developer has never jumped head-first into the survival horror genre. That said, Telltale's game style could fit with a slasher perfectly, with frantic quick-time events and the opportunity to build a chilling story. There is already an asymmetrical multiplayer game in the works, but something would a little more narrative would be an exciting prospect. Friday the 13th's lore and unstoppable killer Jason would provide with a strong base for a game where survival is key, and mystery-solving and escape is more important than direct action.
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Doctor Who
Telltale fans have been clamoring for this one for a while, and it's easy to see why: the franchise has a huge variety of ages and locations, fearsome enemies, and the potential for fantastic puzzles to solve. Doctor Who has even been proven to work in an episodic adventure game format: the BBC released a series of UK-only titles in 2011, before unfortunately releasing a run of poor-quality console titles such as Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock. The only question is which Doctor should star.
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Firefly
There are still plenty of fans mourning the loss of Joss Whedon's space western. Unjustly cancelled after a just a single season, Firefly is seen by many as the Buffy and Angel creator's best work. Although feature film Serenity was a strong conclusion to the main narrative, and there's still hope for MMO Firefly Online, it still feels as though fans of the show have missed out on the chance to see many of Mal, Zoe, Wash et al's adventures. A Telltale Games adaptation could provide players with a side-story set before the events of Serenity, or even focus on another ship's crew during Firefly's events.
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What do you make of our list? Are there any other franchises you'd like to see Telltale take on? Let us know in the comments below.