Remasters are inherently nostalgic, attempting to evoke a certain feel and mood again years after the original release. Few of them, however, symbolize a time capsule as much as Poker Night at the Inventory. The concept of sitting down characters from four different franchises at the same poker table was novel in 2010. Now, after the likes of Fortnite have fostered an ever-increasing IP onslaught, bringing back such an oddity of a crossover makes for a significant contrast.
Poker Night at the Inventory was born as a spiritual successor to Telltale Texas Hold’em. At the time, Telltale Games CEO Dan Conners said the concept grew out of an idea from employees who wondered what video game characters do when they’re not “on the clock.” This led to Telltale picking up stars from existing licensed series it had adapted as episodic games–Max from Sam & Max and Strong Bad from Homestar Runner–and pitting them against Tycho from webcomic Penny Arcade and The Heavy from Valve’s Team Fortress 2.
Having characters from completely different backgrounds and series bantering with each other was the main selling point. Alongside the bizarre premise, the particular selection also converged PC and online culture fandoms that were quite vivid in the early 2010s. Considering this 13-year-old video compilation of jokes and trash talk between the cast has accrued 2.3 million views, it’s safe to assume there has been some lingering fondness over the years–especially considering the game was delisted in 2019.
