Though Robert Kirkman couldn’t be in attendance, it didn’t stop Skybound from bringing together members of there ever expanding collaborative universe at SDCC to celebrate the imprint’s 5th anniversary.
Hosted by gaming personality Geoff Keighley; the house of Kirkman’s dais consisted of Sean Mackiewicz, Skybound president David Alpert, Darin Ross, and from Telltale Games TQ Jefferson,
Alpert opened by talking about the organic growth of Skybound from Robert Kirkman’s creator owned manifesto. The company’s philosophy of an “open source” system hasnow paid more dividens with the upcoming TV adaptation of Outcast. From table top games to VR and movies, Skybound has grown beyond comics into a “creator company”. Alpert also teased some upcoming animation projects and even possibly “radio”.
Geoff brought up the company’s table top game “Superfight” which started with Darin Ross created a card game using Kickstarter. Alpert told a story of Ross playing the game at the Skybound office. Once the entire staff gathered to see it the studio immediately made an offer to publish the game. A new mobile app from 505 Games will expand the world by taking the cards digital. The trailer rolled showing the game in action which brings the game fully into the digital world with animations.
Next the panel went over Skybound games starting with Telltale Games. Former Marvel games executive TQ Jefferson and Mackiwicz came on stage to talk about the recently announce TellTale The Walking Dead Michonne game. TQ talked about a different feel for the game that the character naturally brings. As opposed to playing as Lee or Clementine, players won’t necessarily run from danger. It puts gamers in the feel of a bad ass in Kirkman’s universe. The story will tell the events of Michonne’s disappearance between issues 126-127. Some new concept art was unveild during the presentation; it’s not indicative of the final game but more of how Telltale are telling the story.
Keighly moved into Starbreeze VR’s Overkill’s The Walking Dead. At SDCC fans can play the teaser shown during E3 in the Skybound “VR RV”. The company’s also working on a live action experience with Samsung. Fans can pick up a set of cardboard glasses at the show and then download an experience you’ll go through by sliding your phone into the glasses. The RV will be touring around the country.
Shifting back to more traditional mediums, the panel talked about the upcoming Fear the Walking Dead spinoff show on AMC. With the setting shifting to Los Angeles and a different time line everything has to be reconsidered. The zombies you’ll see from one show will be affected differently from the other.
Outcast also got a bit of discussion. More, including the first footage will be shown Saturday during the Outcast panel.
Skybound’s first feature film, Air, showed the first trailer for the film. The script was co-written and directed by one of the creative leads on Rockstar Game’s western hit Red Dead Redemption, Christian Cantamessa. The duel between Norman Reedus and Dijmon Hunsou looks intense. We’ll be at the premiere tomorrow night and give you a review shortly after.
The Q&A was short but did tease something in the works involving gaming for Invincible that fans can expect an announcement on for SDCC 2016.
