Author: Trafficblast

The start of Season 6 of Epic’s phenomenally popular Fortnite: Battle Royale is just around the corner. The new season kicks off on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile later this week, but to help further build excitement for its release in the meantime, the studio has begun dropping teaser images to usher in its impending arrival. The first features…a llama. Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that.

As it did in the run up to Season 5, it appears Epic will share a series of teaser images leading up to the start of Season 6. The company tweeted the first one out on Monday, which presumably shows off a new DJ llama skin you’ll be able to get your hands on during Season 6; in the background, you can see the infamous purple cube. “All great parties need a DJ,” the tweet reads. It should be noted that Fortnite’s Battle Royale mode celebrates the first anniversary of its release very soon.

Epic hasn’t shared many details yet on what to expect from Season 6. The developer recently confirmed the new season officially begins on Thursday, September 27, but we don’t know much about it beyond that. One thing that is safe to assume, however, is that Epic will offer another new Battle Pass when the season does kick off. The developer has released a new Battle Pass at the start of every season thus far; these could be purchased for 950 V-Bucks and leveled up as you completed weekly challenges to acquire new cosmetics and other rewards.

Some strange things have also been happening in the game itself that signal some sort of major changes in store for Season 6. Last month, a purple cube materialized on the island after the desert was struck by a lightning bolt that emerged from the giant rift in the sky. The rift has since closed, and the cube began slowly rolling around the island until it made its way to Loot Lake and plunged in, turning the lake purple and bouncy.

It’s unclear what any of this means for the future of Fortnite, but every lingering question should be answered when Season 6 begins this Thursday. In the meantime, it’s your last chance to unlock any remaining Season 5 rewards. That season ends on Tuesday, September 25, so you have until then to complete Season 5 challenges. If you need help finishing them up, you can find tips for all 10 weeks in our Season 5 challenges roundup.

Telltale co-founder Dan Connors has explained one of the reasons why the beloved adventure game studio is effectively closing down. Speaking to Variety, Connors said Telltale was close to securing another round of financing, but after it fell through, the company had “no choice but to stop production.”

“The company was working diligently to close a round of financing,” he explained. “Unfortunately, when the last potential financial backer abruptly pulled out, we were left in a position where we had no choice but to stop production. Sadly, everyone was so focused on doing what was required to keep the company going that when the last potential partner backed out, there were no other options.”

Telltale’s publicly disclosed financiers include venture capital firms IDG Ventures and Granite Ventures, as well as the Hunger Games movie studio Lionsgate Entertainment, whose CEO, Jon Feltheimer, sits on Telltale’s board of directors. It’s not clear if the financier that backed out was one of these outfits or any number or a different company. Multiple sources told Variety that Lionsgate was potentially the company that backed out of a new financing deal.

According to the report, Lionsgate told the board of directors last week that it would stop financing Telltale so it could focus on its core business in the movie space. One employee who was present when management announced the layoffs told Variety that Lionsgate was mentioned as one of the reasons for the move.

Lionsgate invested in Telltale back in 2015, with reports claiming the film company put $40 million into Telltale to work on game and TV show collaborations. As part of this investment, Feltheimer joined Telltale’s board of directors.

Former Telltale CEO Kevin Bruner said one of the reasons he left the company was due to his clashing with the board of directors about the company’s future. Former Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello is also on Telltale’s board of directors. Telltale’s current CEO, Pete Hawley, comes from Zynga, while three other top managers at Telltale are former Zynga higher-ups.

Connors told Variety that running a business comes with a number of serious risks and challenges. “The process of building something that has meaning and touches people is the most fulfilling thing a creative person can do,” he said. “But beware if you want to build a business: it is a perilous trip.”

Telltale announced a “majority studio closure” on Friday, resulting in 225 of the company’s 250 people losing their jobs. Following that announcement, Telltale announced that it had found multiple potential partners to help finish and release The Walking Dead: The Final Season. Telltale staffers were reportedly fired without severance pay, so many fans and commenters are taking issue Telltale potentially finishing the series–and making revenue from it–without paying the let-go staffers any severance.

In other news, Netflix has announced that it is evaluating its options for how it can finish the Stranger Things game that Telltale was working on.

For its part, Telltale says it will have more announcements to make regarding the fate of its numerous franchises in the weeks ahead. The company has not filed for bankruptcy, and it remains open with around 25 people still on staff.