Behind-the-Scenes Highlights Part of Opening Night Live
August 23, 2022
[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Game Developer and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press]
Telltale Games |
GAMESCOM: KÖLN, GERMANY – AUGUST 23, 2022 – Telltale, a leading narrative game development studio and publisher, today provided the first look at the gameplay of its upcoming The Expanse: A Telltale Series. The behind-the-scenes segment premiered earlier today in Geoff Keighley’s Opening Night Live showcase.
The title was revealed last December during The Game Awards broadcast when Telltale announced it had partnered with award-winning development studio, Deck Nine, and Alcon Interactive Group to create a narrative game based on Alcon Television Group’s, popular Amazon Prime sci-fi television series and James S.A. Corey-penned books. The Expanse is set in the future where humanity has colonized the solar system and the people of Earth, Mars and the Asteroid Belt have long been in opposition with one another. When the crew of the Rocinante uncovers an ancient alien technology, a vast conspiracy begins to emerge, one that will bring the solar system to the brink of war. The series follows a group of protagonists as they uncover and become involved in a conspiracy that threatens the fragile balance.
The first new IP announced by Telltale since the company re-formed in 2019, The Expanse: A Telltale Series is set prior to the events of the TV series. Players take on the role of Camina Drummer (played by actress Cara Gee in both the game and TV series), the leader of a scavenging crew on the hunt for a mysterious treasure on the edges of The Belt. As Drummer, players must work with a mix of powerful personalities, square off against a bloody mutiny, explore locations beyond The Belt and, most of all, make tough decisions that will decide the fate of The Artemis crew.
“The Expanse world is rich with complex characters that grow and change, so it’s a wellspring of compelling stories and difficult choices,” said Matt Saia, VP of creative for Telltale. “Camina Drummer is a character who is strong but fair, with an unexplored background and tremendous story arc, so it was an easy choice to make her our main protagonist. Cara Gee brings the same powerful, nuanced portrayal of Drummer to the game that made the character a fan favorite in the show, and we think players will enjoy discovering this world from her perspective.”
The Expanse introduces several new gameplay elements that go beyond what people experienced with past Telltale games. Players have greater authority over the action. The ability to communicate with the crew over the radio at the player's discretion keeps the plot and dialogue choices moving forward simultaneously with the player’s exploration, and all those character interactions affect the story’s conclusion.
Gravity is a crucial part of the game’s setting and mechanics. While investigating shipwrecks beyond The Belt, players will use mag boots to walk on walls and ceilings and utilize Zero-G thrusters to float through the void. As they fly through sections of ships, players can interact with objects in the world and converse with members of their crew. These dialogue options will play as they navigate so they get to learn more about the world and their shipmates.
“Part of the space scavenger experience is exploring massive wrecks deep in the void, and gravity represents such a huge part of immersing people in that environment. In recreating that reality, we needed to make areas larger for players to discover and interact. As a result, The Expanse has the largest and most immersive exploration of any Telltale game to date,” commented Deck Nine’s game director, Stephan Frost “
"In the end, this is a story about leadership," said Zak Garriss, vice president of narrative for Telltale Games. "In Drummer's mag boots, the player has to contend with the unforgiving brutality of space, the politics of a corrupt solar system, the animosities of her crew, and even her own conflicting passions balancing personal desire against her responsibility to the greater good. There is no right or wrong path - only the player's choices and the consequences they unleash."
The Expanse: A Telltale Series is expected to be released for PC and leading consoles in Summer, 2023. To learn more about The Expanse: A Telltale Series and the new Telltale Games, please visit www.Telltale.com.
About Deck Nine Games
Deck Nine is an independent game developer dedicated to forging stories and gameplay into transformative entertainment experiences. Based in Westminster, Colorado, Deck Nine is best known for its work on the recent games in the award-winning Life is Strange series, published by Square Enix. This includes Life is Strange: True Colors, Life is Strange: Before the Storm, and Life is Strange: Remastered Collection. Deck Nine’s talented team of developers has won awards for their work in films, TV, and video games. For more information on Deck Nine visit: www.DeckNineGames.com
About Telltale Games
Telltale is an independent developer and publisher of both original and licensed IP games for every major interactive platform and is a pioneer of narrative games and episodic delivery. The Telltale brand, assets, and various IPs are now owned by LCG Entertainment, operating and marketing games under the Telltale name. LCG Entertainment is a privately held company, headquartered in Malibu with offices in Corte Madera, California. For more information, please visit www.telltale.com.
About Alcon Entertainment
Co-founders and co-CEOs Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson founded Alcon Entertainment in 1997 with partner Frederick W. Smith, the Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of FedEx. Alcon has financed and produced or co-financed and co-produced 34 films to date including the Academy Award Best Picture nominee The Blind Side which earned Sandra Bullock an Oscar for Best Actress and the critically acclaimed Blade Runner 2049 starring Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford which won 2 Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects and received an additional 3 nominations, among many others.
Alcon Television Group's recent projects include the hit sci-fi series The Expanse, a critically acclaimed space thriller that boasts a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes; and the animated children’s series Pete the Cat, a co-production with Amazon Studios based on the best-selling children’s book series, and Blade Runner Black Lotus, an anime show that recently premiered on Adult Swim. Alcon Television Group's past projects include the Grammy-winning and Emmy-nominated four-part documentary The Defiant Ones, originally developed for HBO, which chronicled the divergent roots and unlikely partnership of Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine that launched exclusively on NBCUniversal’s Peacock; and the Emmy-nominated HBO documentary Sinatra: All Or Nothing At All from Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney which remains one of HBO’s most successful shows in the 50+ demographic.
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Editor’s Note: Interviews are available upon request.
Media Contacts
Elizabeth Olson
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@EbethO
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