• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Gameranx

Gameranx

Video Game News, Lists & Guides

  • News
  • Features
  • Platforms
    • Xbox Series X
    • PS5
    • Nintendo
  • Videos
  • Upcoming Games
  • Guides
  • News
  • Features
  • Platforms
    • Xbox Series X
    • PS5
    • Nintendo
  • Videos
  • Upcoming Games
  • Guides

Allegations Of Telltale Developer Being A Toxic Work Environment Surfaces

March 22, 2018 by Jordan Coetsee

Following the exodus of talent, former employees speak out against the CEO of Telltale.

Telltale, the studio behind award-winning narrative-based games has been accused of creating a toxic work environment for employees – which isn’t surprising considering a mass amount of talent has actually left the studio since the rapid expansion of the studio. Speaking to the Verge, a former employee detailed their opinion as to why Telltale is becoming less and less of a hot topic of recent.

“The pace at which the studio operated was both an amazing feat and its biggest problem,” a former employee told The Verge. “Executives would often ask teams to rewrite, redesign, recast, and reanimate up until the very last minute without properly adjusting the schedule. The demands on production only became more intense with each successful release, and at some point, you just don’t have anything left to give.”

Other employees went on to comment on how the studio co-founder Kevin Bruner, become more and more of a toxic lead to work under following the success of The Walking Dead. Specifically, the environment felt like it was lead by fear.

“Inevitably, the Eye of Sauron looks at you, and that beam of light just blows everything up and makes it a hellscape,” one former employee told the site. “A lot of times at Telltale, you don’t feel like you’re wanted there.”

Added another: “It often felt like we were building games specifically for [Bruner]. We were tailoring the type of content we were building – not just gameplay mechanics, but tone, the types of characters we chose to use – to his taste. This was one of the biggest issues with him as a CEO: he was pretty convinced that his taste was everyone’s taste.”

Bruner has responded to these allegations saying that all choices made were for the greater good of the team.

 

Share this post:

FacebookTwitterLinkedInPinterest

Recent Videos

Top 25 NEW Games of 2025 [Second Half]

Top 25 NEW Games of 2025 [Second Half]

10 WEIRD Gaming Stories of June 2025

10 WEIRD Gaming Stories of June 2025

10 1000 IQ Moments in Video Games That Are GENIUS

10 1000 IQ Moments in Video Games That Are GENIUS

25 Best Isometric RPGs That DEFINED A GENERATION

25 Best Isometric RPGs That DEFINED A GENERATION

10 Best Games of 2025 [First Half]

10 Best Games of 2025 [First Half]

CRAZY HORROR GAME ANNOUNCED, WHAT HAPPENED TO MONSTER HUNTER? & MORE

CRAZY HORROR GAME ANNOUNCED, WHAT HAPPENED TO MONSTER HUNTER? & MORE

10 Things 2000s Gamers Absolutely HATED

10 Things 2000s Gamers Absolutely HATED

Death Stranding 2: 10 Things The Game DOESN'T TELL YOU

Death Stranding 2: 10 Things The Game DOESN'T TELL YOU

10 Game Franchises That EVOLVED BACKWARDS

10 Game Franchises That EVOLVED BACKWARDS

Category: UpdatesTag: PC, PS4, Telltale, The Walking Dead, Xbox One

Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Rumor: Perfect Dark Gameplay Reveal From Last Year’s Xbox Games Showcase Was “Basically Fake”
  • Microsoft Layoffs Hit Call of Duty Studios Sledgehammer, Raven & High Moon
  • Halo Studios Also Has Layoffs – While Insiders Claim No One Is Confident About Their Next Project
  • Rumor: Halo Game Development Is Shifting Towards Contractual Studios
  • The Blood of Dawnwalker Gets A New Highlight During Bandai Namco Summer Showcase

Copyright © 2025 · Gameranx · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme