The Wolf Among Us 2: A Telltale Series delayed “out of 2023”
Due out "when it's ready."
Telltale Games has delayed The Wolf Among Us 2: A Telltale Series from its previously planned 2023 release window to “out of 2023.” It will be available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Epic Games Store.
When asked if this meant the game will release in 2024, a Telltale Games representative said it can only confirm the game’s release date is “not in 2023.” While the studio is aiming for 2024, it has not yet determined a new release date or timing, and is reluctant to give a release window until one is confirmed internally.
The representative told Gematsu, “If you were to ask our CEO [Jamie Ottilie], his answer is ‘when it’s ready,’ as we certainly didn’t anticipate some of the challenges of the last few years since we relaunched the company (the pandemic, a hiring shortage, etc.).”
Speaking to IGN, Telltale Games CEO Jamie Ottilie discussed the delay further.
“If we put this game out and it’s not ready, we’re going to get torn to shreds,” Ottilie said. “The expectations are pretty high, and we want time to meet those and we want to be proud of it and know that, ‘Hey, this is the best game we could have made.’ Let the world say what they will [once] it’s done, but at least we know that in these times, in these conditions, this is the best game that we could make.”
Ottilie said the studio could have ‘crunched’ to get the game out in 2023, but that option was never on the table.
“I’ve done [crunch], and I don’t want to do it again, and it’s not fair to ask it,” Ottilie said. “You can’t plan a business around it. So yeah, part of it is about maintaining a healthy work culture. We don’t want to burn out our good people. It has been incredibly difficult to recruit the last two years between COVID and the labor markets and the growth in the games industry. So certainly, burning people out or grinding them down is the wrong thing to do long-term. It’s not how you build a business. And as an industry, we’re terrible about it. We burn our people out. We burn our best people out faster. And as an industry, if we’re going to continue to grow, we have to stop it. We just have to stop doing it and make better choices.”
Here is the full message from Telltale Games on the delay:
…an important update for The Wolf Among Us 2.
We’ve made the difficult decision to delay The Wolf Among Us 2 out of 2023.
We know, it’s frustrating to hear.
We started work on this in 2020 and we’re still determined to tell the ongoing story of Bigby and the rest of the Fabletown gang. However, it is going to require more time. As disappointed as you are hearing this, we feel worse having to say it.
But the work continues.
We’re committed to delivering the sequel fans deserve and doing what’s right for the game while protecting the health of our team.
We appreciate your patience and understanding.
—The Telltale Team