When Telltale Games announced that it was working on The Expanse: A Telltale Series, many fans of the studio and the series were excited. Not only were they eager for the studio's resurrection but for being involved in a rich universe where it can build its own story in its signature style. Featuring a different art style that makes it unique from Telltale's past titles, fans have been waiting to see something new from The Expanse: A Telltale Series.
During Gamescom Opening Night Live, Telltale Games showed off its first look at gameplay in The Expanse: A TellTale Series. The atmosphere and tension in the dialogue that The Expanse books and TV series were known for already pours through in the short, pre-alpha gameplay footage that was shown. Along with the gameplay was dialogue from Zak Garriss, Vice President of Story Development at Telltale Games, and The Expanse: A Telltale Series Game Director Stephan Frost on what kind of story they intend to tell in this game. Frost said one of the main aspects of the game was to make the player feel more involved, rather than just being a "passenger" in the story.
As the Captain of a salvage vessel, Drummer must explore the shattered remains of destroyed freighter ships and traverse through the "ghosts" of the crew left to the void of space. Cara Gee, the actor that played Drummer in the show and reprised her role for the game, stated that fans will see an earlier version of Drummer that is more vulnerable and potentially see events that will lead to her being ruthless and hardened by the time fans meet her later in the story. In the trailer, fans see Drummer hesitate more, and visibly react to some of the gruesome things they find on the destroyed ship.
The gameplay footage featured familiar vibes of the series' depiction of zero-gravity that felt unique throughout its TV run. It also features an instance of "Spacing," a form of "Belter Justice" after someone has committed an egregious wrong, they are thrown into an airlock to plead their case. This instance of choosing whether someone lives or dies is sure to play into how the story progresses and information is gathered in The Expanse: A Telltale Series.
The game also got its first hint at a potential release window. At the end of the gameplay trailer, TellTale revealed that it is looking to release The Expanse: A TellTale Series in the Summer 2023 release window. Still vague, but it can get fans focused on when to expect the game. Even as a gameplay trailer using pre-alpha footage, the tension that was tantamount to The Expanse can be felt as a younger Drummer is met with life or death decisions for herself and the safety of her crew.
The Expanse: A Telltale Series is expected on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms in Summer 2023.
