It’s been a decade since Telltale gave us an underrated masterpiece in The Wolf Among Us. The idea of turning classic Fables into modern day creatures trying to fit in with humans (or “Mundies” in the game) was a plot device that players absolutely loved. The neo-noir music and setting, Telltale’s classic choices thrown at players, and a complex storyline warranted a BAFTA nomination as well.
So, with all the love this game has received, and continues to receive, it really does beg the question- Did Telltale Games axe the sequel? Despite Sheriff Bigby and Faith/Nerissa’s cryptic ending, Telltale’s history of development hell across some of their titles is probably why the future of the Big Bad Wolf and Fabletown looks so bleak.
Telltale’s Problematic Development History
Telltale shot to success with their rendition of The Walking Dead. With protagonists in Lee Everett and Clementine, Telltale’s adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s comics found itself with a huge fanbase. So, when Season 2 came out, players wished for lightning in a bottle again… But found themselves with shattered glass.
The issues with Season 2 were quite adamant from the get-go. Whether it was completely forgetting about Christa’s character altogether, or the poor writing for the Jane and Kenny sequence, there was a lot to dislike. As explained by YouTuber InColdBlood, it seems as though Telltale planned for a darker, grittier season 2. But with huge management changes, season 2 took a blow to its writing, development time and even its animations.
The same issues flowed into Season 3 of the game. Telltale suffered management changes once more and were forced into a development crunch, working simultaneously on different IPs. Season 4, although eventually released and received with stellar reviews, faced the brunt of Telltale’s issues. With bankruptcy closing them down, Skybound Games were left to pick up the pieces with a very small team. However, when LCG Entertainment bought Telltale in 2019, they retained the licenses to The Wolf Among Us, Batman and The Walking Dead. This also meant that LCG brought back some of the original Telltale members to continue on these projects.
And so Telltale seemed to have revived itself with 2023’s The Expanse, a collaboration with Deck Nine. However, The Expanse was met with lukewarm reception and mediocre sales. This was reflected in the series of layoffs that followed.
This is a sore subject, but I feel it necessary to add to the gaming layoff news: Telltale laid most of us off early September. Status of TWAU2, I can't say (NDA).
Now, I focus on what matters to me—my own game, and the following words:
Games industry, we must UNIONIZE.
1/5
— jjonahjonahson (@jjonahjonahson) October 5, 2023
So, Is The Wolf Among Us 2 Canned?
Well, it’s hard to say. With employees under NDAs for the game, there is some uncertainty. Although the CEO, Jamie Ottilie, has said that development is progressing steadily and that fans can look forward to new snippets in early 2024. Given that the game switched to Unreal Engine 5 mid-development, it highlights why Telltale has taken a lot more time to give us even a smidge of detail.
With no release date in sight yet, we can only speculate that it might perhaps be released close to the end of 2024. Initially announced at the Game Awards 2019, only a trailer was released in 2022.
As per Telltale, TWAU 2 is set six months after the end of the first game. With winter setting in, a new case lurks over Fabletown and Sheriff Bigby. Players hope that some cryptic plotlines, like the Faith/Nerissa ending, Toad’s exile to The Farm, and more are explained in the sequel.
The Wolf Among Us, available on Steam.
