Bad news for fans of Telltale’s The Walking Dead series as Skybound Entertainment officially denies rumors of a fifth season.
Rumors have recently been circling the internet of a possible fifth season to Telltale’s beloved The Walking Dead (TWD) series.
These whispers were enough to spark hope in gamers looking forward to a revival of the critically acclaimed franchise.
Skybound Games—the gaming arm of the company that owns The Walking Dead comic books, Skybound Entertainment—took to Twitter to officially address the rumors.
Unfortunately for fans of the adventure titles, Skybound Games made it very clear that they had no plans to resurrect the franchise for a fifth season in the immediate future.
They did, however, thank the fans for their passion for Telltale’s The Walking Dead.
Thank you to the fans who have reached out in recent days! While we wholeheartedly appreciate your enthusiasm for Telltale's TWD, we currently have no plans for a Season 5.
— Skybound Games (@skyboundgames) May 18, 2020
Telltale and Skybound Games
Despite Telltale’s TWD games being a tremendous financial success, it just wasn’t to keep the California-based developer afloat due to the creative and financial struggles they had been experiencing for the better part of a year.
When their last two investors backed out midway through the release of The Walking Dead: The Final Season, Telltale Games just couldn’t recover.
With two episodes left unreleased, Skybound Games stepped in and announced that they would continue working on the final two chapters, “Broken toys” and “Take us back.”
In addition to wrapping up The Walking Dead: The Final Season, Skybound Games were also responsible for the game’s physical releases on Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Finally completed @telltalegames / @skyboundgames #TheWalkingDead Series tonight. What a Journey over the years with Clem & company. Incredibly well done from start to finish, highly recommend! pic.twitter.com/uJZWzwrrrD
— Justus (@Str33tJustus) April 6, 2020
Telltale’s success with The Walking Dead
Telltale Games released the final episode of TWD’s first season back in November 2012, and the saga was met with rave reviews from fans and critics alike.
The genuine connections between the game’s characters along with the brutal, unapologetic harshness of the narrative made TWD an absolute hit.
Numerous gaming publications gave the episodic adventure their votes for “Game of the Year,” with many considering the initial season as one of the greatest games of all time. Some even believed that the series single-handedly saved the dying adventure genre.
Just finished Telltale Walking Dead final season late to the party damn what an emotional roller coaster brilliant storytelling and character development pure masterpiece recommend it to everyone. Clementine is one of the greatest video game protagonist of all time. pic.twitter.com/axjWsXUlIF
— Independent anarchist (@SocialistBLM) May 14, 2020
TWD: Season One was succeeded by three more seasons, TWD: Season two, TWD: A New Frontier, and TWD: The Final Season. While not quite as groundbreaking as the initial one, all three subsequent sagas were met with generally positive reviews.
The Final Season was especially well-loved on account of its fresh gameplay mechanics, sharp visuals, and distinct characters.
With Skybound Games shutting down hopes of a series revival, it seems Telltale’s last The Walking Dead title may, in fact, be its The Final Season.
Image courtesy of Skybound Games/Twitter