You’re likely aware of Overkill’s The Walking Dead. It was an anticipated video game title that was pushed back over development and when it got its gameplay trailers, fans quickly got concerned. There were comments from potential players that the game looked dated for today’s standards and when it finally did release, the game was hit with a series of poor reviews. This created a ton of consequences that started to release over the following months. For instance, Starbreeze Studios, the publishers who brought out the PC version of the game fired the CEO, who then had emails leaked out blaming the developers over at Overkill for not providing a decent product.
This followed up announcements that were calling the console port to be cancelled where 505 Games, the publishers behind the console release, denied these announcements. Instead, the console versions were simply pushed back. Now it looks like Skybound Entertainment is ready to put the final nail in the coffin when it comes to the game. For those unaware, Skybound Entertainment is the company that Robert Kirkman co-founded. Those of you who may not find the name to be familiar, Robert Kirkman is the creator behind The Walking Dead, the hit comic book series that sparked a hit drama television series.
In a statement released by Skybound Entertainment, it seems that the company is terminating the contract it had with Starbreeze Studios due to the results of Overkill’s The Walking Dead. The statement mostly covers how they found the game to be below standards and now was originally promised by Starbreeze Studios.
As of today, we have terminated our contract with Starbreeze Studios and will discontinue all efforts on OVERKILL’S THE WALKING DEAD. Our creators and their stories are the core of Skybound, and since 2014 we have worked hard to expand the world of The Walking Dead into an exceptional Co-op Action FPS. We did our best to work with Starbreeze and resolve many issues that we saw with the game, but ultimately OVERKILL’S THE WALKING DEAD did not meet our standards nor is it the quality that we were promised. We are exceedingly sorry to our fans and share their disappointment in the game. We remain dedicated to providing our fans with the most premium quality content we can offer, and will continue to look for alternative video game options for the IP.
This may mean that the console versions are never coming out as you don’t want the creator behind the IP to be disappointed in the work delivered. Especially since the statement also included that the company is discontinuing all efforts when it comes to Overkill’s The Walking Dead. Sure this game may not have been all that great but maybe it laid some of the groundwork for another chance at delivering a successful video game title under the IP that’s not tied to the Telltale Games series.
[Source: Skybound]
