E3 2011: What we know about Telltale’s The Walking Dead

Telltale Games had a smaller presence at E3 than I hoped, with their meeting room situated in the Concourse Hall between West and South Hall. But if you watched AMC’s The Walking Dead television series, you know what game they promoted from the image above.

Don’t take that to mean the game will follow the storyline of the Frank Darabout-produced series, though. Telltale’s Senior Director of Marketing Richard Iggo stated simply, “We see Kirkman’s work as canon.” Robert Kirkman is the writer of the "The Walking Dead" comic, which the show is based on.

The game takes place during the events of the comic, but serves as a side story. When the game begins, Rick Grimes, the comic’s main character, is still in a coma. You play as Lee Everett, a prisoner escaped from his police escort after a zombie attack. You soon meet Clementine, a seven-year-old girl left to fend for herself after her parents went missing. Telltale says Clementine is intended to provide a sort of moral compass for Everett. The two of you join up and eventually meet other characters from the comic, including Glenn and Lily.

While Telltale didn’t show gameplay, Iggo noted The Walking Dead would take cues similar to Telltale’s other forthcoming game Jurassic Park: The Game, suggesting the inclusion of quick-time events during action sequences and cinematic use of camera angles.

The Walking Dead has no official release date, but is expected to be available in this year’s fourth quarter. After Telltale Games’ deal they inked with Microsoft, The Walking Dead will hopefully be available on the Xbox 360, in addition to the PlayStation 3, PC, and Mac.