Telltale Games, Skybound Entertainment, and Zen Studios partner to create all-new table based on the ‘Game of the Year’ winning series
Los Angeles, CA – June 4, 2014 – The pinball masters at Zen Studios have partnered with leading developer of digital entertainment Telltale Games and Robert Kirkman, the Eisner Award-winning creator and writer of The Walking Dead for his Skybound imprint at Image Comics, to create an all-new digital pinball table based on the award-winning The Walking Dead game series, continuing an age-old tradition in celebrating some of the biggest icons in entertainment on the classic pinball playfield.
A true collaborative effort, both Zen and Telltale have worked together on each detail of the table design, sharing ideas and fusing their passion to bring the story and choice-driven gameplay of The Walking Dead: Season One journey to the playfield. Touring locations from Clementine’s treehouse and Everett’s pharmacy in Macon, all the way down the tracks to the walker-infested streets of Savannah, players will find an authentic tour of Season One capturing the peril and drama of Lee and Clementine’s story.
“Zen Studios is a huge admirer of Telltale Games, and we truly cherish the opportunity to work with such amazing visionaries,” said Mel Kirk, Vice President of Publishing at Zen Studios. “Working with Telltale’s The Walking Dead is a hallmark moment as we continue our quest to create the most memorable and authentic pinball experiences.”
The Walking Dead Pinball table features choice-driven gameplay across each of Season One’s five episodes, along with original story dialogue from the award-winning cast. Scenarios include choosing who to save and who to leave behind in a walker attack, solving problems and keeping up morale within the group, searching for food and supplies, acquiring important tools, and navigating through the herd amidst an oncoming walker breach.
“Zen knocked it out of the park with their interpretation Telltale’s first season of The Walking Dead as a pinball table,” said Steve Allison, SVP of Publishing at Telltale Games. “Players once again get to step into the shoes of Lee Everett and protect Clementine as all the major events of season one play a role in the first ever pinball game that features choice and consequence gameplay.”
The Walking Dead Pinball table will be demonstrated at this year’s E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo, and those in attendance can get a sneak peek hands on at Telltale’s booth in the Concourse Hall.
The Walking Dead Pinball table will be available for download later this summer on Zen Studios pinball platforms across console, PC, and mobile stores.
For assets, please visit the Zen Studios Press Center. An announcement trailer is available on the Zen Studios YouTube Channel as well as the Telltale Games YouTube Channel.
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About Zen Studios
Zen Studios is a global producer and publisher of interactive entertainment software for all leading digital game platforms, and is recognized as one of the top independent studios in the industry. The company is headquartered in Budapest, Hungary with offices in North America. Zen Studios has worked with some of the biggest brands in entertainment, including Capcom’s Street Fighter, PopCap Games’ Plants vs. Zombies, Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead, Marvel Entertainment, and LucasArts. Zen’s Pinball FX2 franchise on Xbox LIVE® Arcade is one of the most popular titles on the platform, has garnered numerous awards, and was named the bestselling game of 2011, while its tower defense title, Castlestorm, has released on a variety of platforms, including Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, iOS, and Android, to widespread commercial success and critical acclaim.
Please visit blog.zenstudios.com for more information on Zen Studios’ robust library of titles.
About Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman is the creator of many popular comic books, including the Eisner Award-winning The Walking Dead, long-running Invincible, and all-ages Super Dinosaur. Since entering the comics scene with his self-published cult-hit Battle Pope in 2000, the Kentucky native has risen to fame as one of the most successful names in comics, as well as a passionate advocate for independent comics and creator rights. In 2008, Kirkman became a partner at Image Comics, and in 2010, he opened Skybound, his own imprint at Image, which publishes his titles as well as other original work.
That same year, Kirkman continued to expand his presence in the entertainment industry, becoming a creator, executive producer and writer on The Walking Dead television show. The show is now in its fourth season and has become the highest-rated basic cable drama of all time.
To date The Walking Dead is the #1 on television among the coveted 18-49 demo. Kirkman is also slated to executive produce AMC’s upcoming The Walking Dead spinoff show.
Skybound recently announced that it will publish Kirkman’s new exorcism comic, Outcast, which is in development as a television show with CINEMAX and Fox International. The Skybound original title Clone, written by David Schulner, is also in development as a television show at Universal. Kirkman will serve as an executive producer on both series.
Skybound Entertainment and Kirkman will produce their first feature film, Air, starring The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus and Academy Award-nominated actor Djimon Hounsou.
About Skybound
Since opening its doors in 2010, Skybound Entertainment has grown into a multiplatform entertainment company. Skybound CEO Robert Kirkman is creator of the award-winning The Walking Dead comic book series, the inspiration for the hit TV show of the same name where he serves as creator and executive producer. To date The Walking Dead is the #1 on television among the coveted 18-49 demo. Skybound recently announced that it will publish Kirkman’s new exorcism comic, Outcast, which is in development as a television show with CINEMAX and Fox International. The Skybound original title Clone, written by David Schulner, is also in development as a television show at Universal. Kirkman will serve as an executive producer on both series. Skybound Entertainment and Kirkman will produce their first feature film, Air, starring The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus and Academy Award-nominated actor Djimon Hounsou. Comic book titles published by Skybound include The Walking Dead, the superhero-comic Invincible, all-ages comic Super Dinosaur, the revenge drama Dead Body Road, and heist comic Thief of Thieves. Skybound also creates a wide range of merchandise, including video games, apparel, board games, and action figures. In 2012, the Skybound-developed iOS game The Walking Dead Assault launched to rave reviews. The Walking Dead Escape, an immersive zombie run experience, launched in 2012 at San Diego Comic-Con. Skybound recently announced a 2014 spring tour for The Walking Dead Escape. For more information, please visit Skybound online at www.Skybound.com and www.TheWalkingDead.com.
About Image Comics
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino . It consists of four major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.
About Telltale, Inc.
Telltale is a leading independent developer and publisher of games for every major interactive platform from home consoles and PC to mobile and tablet devices, and is the pioneer of the episodic delivery of digital gaming content. By successfully developing games as an episodic series and frequently releasing in the format a game season, they create longer consumer engagement than traditional games for each release. Founded in 2004 by games industry veterans with decades of experience, Telltale has quickly become an industry leader with numerous honors and awards from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, BAFTA, the IMGA, and more, as well as being named Studio of the Year in 2012, after establishing a model for successful episodic game creation and digital publishing. Telltale’s reputation for quality has been established across more than two dozen different product releases over the years with recognition and acclaim from publications like IGN, The New York Times, and Variety, including over 100 “Game of the Year” awards from publications like USA Today, Yahoo! Games, Wired, Spike TV VGAs, E!, Official Xbox Magazine, The Telegraph, Metactitic, and more. Telltale is a fully licensed third party publisher on consoles from Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, and also publishes games on the PC, Mac, and Apple iOS platforms. For more information visit www.telltalegames.com.
“PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox LIVE are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
Press Release © 2014 Zen Studios / Telltale, Inc.
