Telltale Games co-founder and former CEO Kevin Bruner has issued a statement following the news of the studio’s impending closure.
Written on his blog, he remarked that despite the personal differences that led to his exit he was proud of the work the company had done in defining the narrative genre and pursuing “projects no one else would consider".
He only vaguely touched upon claims of crunch conditions but went on to share words of praise for the Telltale staff, calling them the most talented people he had ever known.
“We were equally passionate about making sure our employees always had a home,” wrote Bruner.
“Prior to my leaving, we were able to avoid sweeping layoffs and (somehow) managed to ensure that we always had work for everyone.
“We worked hard, and sometimes it seemed like we had more than we could handle but we stuck together and forged ahead.”
He went on to say that he was "mostly saddened for the people who are losing their jobs".
Ousted
Bruner had initially started Telltale in 2004 alongside other former LucasArts employees but was reportedly forced out of his position by investor Lionsgate and the rest of the board.
He had been replaced by fellow co-founder Dan Connors, but former Zynga executive Pete Hawley was brought in later in the year to take over as CEO.
During that period Bruner went on to claim that the company had unduly cut him off from communication, which he claimed to be a breach of his rights as a shareholder.
Bruner went on to allege that the board also removed him as a member despite not having the votes to enforce the action.
Following the claims, Bruner filed a lawsuit against the studio citing a breach of contract. The case went before the court in July and, according to VentureBeat, is currently ongoing with plans for the court to reconvene for another hearing on October 17th.
Studio closure
News broke of Telltale's closure late last week when the studio suddenly laid off 225 employees.
A 25-person skeleton crew is currently in place to tie up the firm's "obligations to its board and partners".
A movement to unionise workers in the games industry issued a scathing statement on the matter and laid the blame firmly at the executive team at Telltale.
