Whoever says franchises don't sell big anymore hasn't really looked at Telltale Games' latest release. "The Walking Dead Episode 1: A New Day," which released last month on Xbox Live PlayStation Network and Steam, has proven that there's still huge interest in franchises, especially ones that are produced remarkably well.

Telltale has revealed the first chapter in the five-part digital series has already sold better than expected, with over a million episodes sold across all platforms. Part of its success may have to do with its pricing, as the game is available for only $4.99 (compared to the $9.99 pricing standard), but there's no question that its high quality of development also played a part.

"The most exciting aspect of getting off to such a great start is that this is just the beginning of the five episode series," Telltale Games CEO Dan Connors said via press release. "The Walking Dead fans are going to experience some really great moments in the months ahead that are uniquely influenced by the choices they make throughout the season."

Indeed, freedom of choice plays a huge part in the game, as the story can easily twist around depending on your decisions, with some survivors partnering up with you and others growing to distrust you.

The second episode in the series, "Starved For Help," releases this June.

Official Press Release

Leading digital publisher Telltale Games and Robert Kirkman, the Eisner Award-winning creator and writer of The Walking Dead for Skybound Entertainment and Image Comics, announced today that their internally developed The Walking Dead video game has sold over one million episodes across PC, Mac, PlayStation®Network for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

The Walking Dead is Telltale's fastest-selling game series to date, with the first episode of five, titled 'A New Day' topping the sales charts as the #1 best-selling title on Xbox LIVE Arcade for two weeks straight, also securing a spot at the top of the sales charts in its launch week on the Steam digital distribution service as well as on PlayStation®Network. These sales milestones do not yet include figures for the iOS version of The Walking Dead, which Telltale is planning to launch later this summer. The upcoming second episode of the season, 'Starved for Help', is expected to launch across PC, Mac, and consoles this June.

"Premiering The Walking Dead game series to record numbers across so many diverse platforms is a tremendous achievement that shows the value of bringing strong storytelling and game play together," said Dan Connors, CEO of Telltale Games, Inc. "The tailored narrative design puts gamers in control of their own story within the universe of The Walking Dead in a way that appeals equally to hardcore gamers and to more casual gamers who are fans of the franchise. The most exciting aspect of getting off to such a great start is that this is just the beginning of the five episode series. The Walking Dead fans are going to experience some really great moments in the months ahead that are uniquely influenced by the choices they make throughout the season."

The first episode of The Walking Dead has been met with high praise from gaming critics, receiving multiple 'Editors' Choice' awards from outlets including IGN.com, PC Gamer, and Official Xbox Magazine, as well as a 'Gold Award' from PlayStation: The Official Magazine. Other publications such MTV News called it, "...one of the best examples of interactive entertainment to date." The New York Times has praised the first episode's strength in storytelling saying, "...moments have more sadness and subtlety in them than other games muster in 40 hours."

The Walking Dead: Episode One - A New Day is set in the world of Robert Kirkman's award-winning comic book series. Lee Everett, a man convicted of a crime of passion, has been given the chance for redemption in a world devastated by the undead. Players will experience life changing events, meet new characters and familiar ones from the original comic, and also visit locations that foreshadow the story of Deputy Sheriff Rick Grimes. The Walking Dead offers a tailored game experience - player actions, choices and decisions affect how the story plays out across the entire series.

Episode One - A New Day is the first of five monthly episodes of The Walking Dead games series and is available for 400 Microsoft®Points on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360®, available now for $4.99 per episode on PlayStation®Network, and is available as the first part of a five episode season pass for $24.99 on PC and Mac from the Telltale Online Store and other digital outlets.

The Walking Dead: Episode One - A New Day is rated 'M' (Mature) for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence and Strong Language by the ESRB.

For more information on the game, visit the official website, Facebook and follow us on Twitter. For more information on The Walking Dead, Robert Kirkman and all of his titles, visit www.skybound.com.

About Robert Kirkman

Robert Kirkman's success and passionate advocacy for creator-owned comics led him to become the first person invited to become a partner at Image Comics since the company's inception twenty years ago and he formed his own imprint there, Skybound, in 2010. Kirkman is the creator/writer of the Eisner Award-winning The Walking Dead, long-running Invincible, all-ages Super Dinosaur, The Astounding Wolf-Man, and new title Thief of Thieves, among many others. Kirkman has earned the respect of the comic, writing and television communities and topped the New York Times bestseller list for graphic novels in 2011 and in April 2012, he took the top five spots on both the hardcover and paperback lists. He's the creator/executive producer and writer of the hit television show, AMC's The Walking Dead, the highest-rated basic cable drama of all time in the U.S, also an international success in 120 countries and 250 million households. AMC just picked up Thief of Thieves as a series with Kirkman serving as creator/executive producer and writer. www.Skybound.com is your destination for all news and merchandise for Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead and all Skybound titles.

About Image

Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of four major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

About Telltale, Inc.

Telltale is a leading independent developer and publisher of games for every major gaming platform and is the pioneer of the episodic delivery of digital gaming content. By developing games as series and successfully releasing on a schedule, they create longer consumer engagement than traditional games for each release. Founded in 2004 by games industry veterans with decades of experience, Telltale has quickly become an industry leader, establishing the model for successful episodic game creation and digital publishing. Telltale has sold more than 5 million episodes since 2005. Telltale's reputation for quality has been established across more than 25 published releases, winning numerous awards including, "Adventure Game of the Year" accolades from publications such as IGN, PC Gamer, GameSpy, and Adventure Gamers. Telltale has also been recognized by mainstream outlets ranging from USA Today, to The New York Times and Variety. Telltale is a fully licensed third party publisher on Xbox 360®, PlayStation®3, and Wii and also publishes games on the PC, Mac, and Apple iOS platforms. For more information visit www.telltalegames.com.

© 2012 Telltale, Inc. THE WALKING DEAD is © 2012 Robert Kirkman, LLC. Based on the Comic Book by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard. Telltale and the Telltale Games logo are trademarks of Telltale, Inc. All rights reserved.

All product titles, publisher names, trademarks, artwork and associated imagery are trademarks, registered trademarks and/or copyright material of the respective owners. All rights reserved.

"PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox LIVE are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

Press Release © 2012 Telltale, Inc.