Telltale crafting The Walking Dead, Fables games

Rumors have persisted for the past month that episodic adventure game specialist Telltale would be taking on the comic book-cum-AMC television series The Walking Dead. Today, those rumors can be codified as fact, as the Wall Street Journal's All Things D blog reports that Telltale has signed an exclusive worldwide publishing agreement with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to create games based on the Walking Dead and Fables properties.

Aside from indicating that it will be an episodic series based on the TV show, All Things D's report did not detail what gamers can expect from Telltale's adaptation of The Walking Dead. The high-tension series--which has been picked up for a second season--follows the dramatic pursuits of a group of human survivors of a zombie apocalypse. It is set in the Deep South.

According to Telltale senior VP of marketing Steve Allison, Telltale has high expectations for the series, saying the company is projecting sales of 1 million units. He noted that of Telltale's other episodic franchises, including Sam & Max and Tales of Monkey Island, profitability on titles is typically achieved after 100,000 units are sold. He went on to note that Telltale games on average sell about 200,000 units.

Even less information was proffered for Fables, which will be based on the comic series from DC Comics' Vertigo imprint. The comic draws its characters from well-known fairy tales and fables, reinterpreting them with a modern twist.

All Things D's report did not offer a specific window for when the Walking Dead or Fables games will be released, saying only that Telltale will begin offering the games through its website and Steam throughout the course of 2011.

[UPDATE] Telltale has since announced that the Walking Dead game will be multiplatform, and that the deal is for multiple titles. The agreement covers games made for consoles, PCs, and Macs, as well as portable devices and mobile phones.