If there’s one series readers always ask for when we write about Telltale games is The Walking Dead (Free), specifically Season 3. This affinity players have shown the franchise could be because it was the first in Telltale’s long series of using famous IPs as a basis for its games or because of characters like Clementine. Whatever the reason, players have been anxiously waiting for Season 3 to hit, and apparently so is the franchise’s creator, Robert Kirkman. In a recent interview, Kirkman talked about how excited he is for Season 3 because for the first time a Telltale TWD game will have a timeline running almost concurrently with the timeline of the comics. Kirkman said the books coming out now are pretty much in the same time frame that Season 3 will be in. He also confirmed that Clementine will be in Season 3, though he didn’t clarify whether she’ll be the protagonist or not.

I’m sure this is good news for fans of the comics and of Telltale’s version of the universe. It’s also a clever way on behalf of Kirkman and Telltale of bringing those two worlds much closer than in previous games. The Walking Dead: Michonne miniseries filled in a gap in the comics’ storyline, so that was already a move to bring the comics and the Telltale worlds together, and Season 3 is going to take another step towards that direction.

Another interesting TWD development is Telltale’s attempts to make your Season 2 decisions matter in Season 3 so the two seasons don’t feel disconnected (while still making Season 3 a fine entry point for any new players). The company also has a solution in mind with which to import save data from previous series to help with playthrough continuity. The first episode of Season 3 should come out at some point in 2016, and I can’t wait.