The co-founder and former CEO of Telltale Games has filed a lawsuit against the studio citing a breach of contract.

Kevin Bruner left the company in 2017 after taking on the mantle of CEO two years earlier. Bruner helped found Telltale Games back in 2004.

He said at the time: "The time has come to pass the reins to someone that can better drive Telltale to the next level and realise all the potential that is here."

Legal dispute

After his replacement as CEO by fellow co-founder Dan Connors, Bruner claims the studio was contractually obligated to provide him with information as he prepared to sell his holdings in the company.

However, Bruner says the board cut off contact with him and worked to have him removed from the studio entirely - denying their obligation to him. Further details of the lawsuit were made available in the Marin Independent Journal.

Lawyers representing Telltale Games accuse Bruner’s lawsuit as “meritless” and filed “as an apparent means of extracting revenge on a company already under financial strain”.

Judge Roy Chernus rejected an initial attempt by Telltale to toss out the lawsuit, ruling there are issues that appear to deserve further examination.

Bruner has been a figure of controversy in the past. Former staff at Telltale Games complained of "constant overwork, toxic management and creative stagnation" under his leadership on The Walking Dead.