The Walking Dead and Tales from the Borderlands developer Telltale Games has released the first trailer for Minecraft: Story Mode.
The video was debuted at Minecon, which is taking place in London on July 4 and July 5, and shows a group of intrepid adventurers–one of which is voiced by comedian Patton Oswalt–encountering “something weird” in the world of Minecraft.
After a catastrophic event causes everyone to flee, the crew of heroes decide to stick together and try to save the universe.
“Players will control protagonist Jesse throughout the season, as portrayed by actor Patton Oswalt,” Telltale explains. “Jesse and his group of friends revere the legendary Order of the Stone; four adventurers who slayed an Ender Dragon.”
“The Order is the very best at what they do: Warrior, Redstone Engineer, Griefer, and Architect. While at EnderCon, Jesse and his friends discover that something is wrong… something dreadful. Terror is unleashed, and they must set out on a journey to find The Order of the Stone if they are to save their world from oblivion.”
Along with Oswalt, Minecraft: Story Mode’s voice cast also includes Brian Posehn (Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer), Ashley Johnson (The Last of Us), Scott Porter (Batman: Arkham Knight), Martha Plimpton (The Goonies), Dave Fennoy (The Walking Dead), Corey Feldman (The Goonies), Billy West (Futurama), and Paul Reubens (The Nightmare Before Christmas).
“We’ve worked closely with the amazing team at Mojang to ensure this story is a natural fit for the Minecraft world fans already know and love,” said Telltale Games CEO Kevin Bruner.
“As Jesse, players will steer their own path through a tale of adventure and survival; all brought to life by an all-star cast. Through Telltale’s choice-based gameplay and a story spanning from the Nether to the Farlands, the End, and beyond, we can’t wait for fans to experience this new take on the beloved world of Minecraft.”
“The interactive storytellers at Telltale are giving players the chance to explore their own unique interpretation of the Minecraft universe,” added Mojang’s Owen Hill. “They’ve crafted a story that follows the logic of Minecraft, but still manages to feel original. It’s actually pretty funny too. And the pig is adorable. We’re super excited about players digging deeper into the world of Minecraft: Story Mode later this year.”
Announced in December 2014, Minecraft: Story Mode will be developed primarily by Telltale Games, in collaboration with Minecraft creator Mojang, which is subsidiary of Microsoft.
Like the majority of Telltale’s episode series, the game will tell an original story “driven by player choice.”
“Telltale’s series will mix new characters with familiar themes, in an entirely original Minecraft experience, inspired by the Minecraft community and the game that continues to inspire a generation,” the studio previously explained.
Addressing the visual style of Telltale’s series, Mojang has said Story Mode “won’t look exactly like Minecraft,” but will “feel authentic in its own special way.”
In addition to Minecraft: Story Mode–and the games mentioned above–Telltale is also working on Game of Thrones and The Wolf Among Us, which is based on the Fables comic series.
In April 2015 Telltale announced a partnership with Marvel Comics: “We’re excited to reveal an all-new partnership with the incredible team at Marvel Entertainment. We’ll be teaming up on the development of an upcoming Telltale game series project set to premiere in 2017!”
Xbox maker Microsoft acquired Mojang and the Minecraft franchise for $2.5 billion. Following the deal, Minecraft creator and Mojang founder Markus “Notch” Persson exited the company.