UPDATE 3/7/13:

We now know that Season 2 of The Walking Dead: The Game is coming fall of 2013 , so we started kicking these theories around again. Enjoy.

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE WALKING DEAD: THE GAME FOLLOW. DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU’VE FINISHED THE GAME OR DON’T CARE.

Scenario 1: Picking Up Where We Left Off

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The Walking Dead: The Game is over – at least the first season. Remember, back in July, developer Telltale Games confirmed Season 2 . We don’t know when it’s coming, but it is. So, what does the ending of Season 1 mean for the future of The Walking Dead? We have a few ideas, and we can relate them all to the last few minutes of Episode 5.

What Is It?

This one’s simple – Episode 5 ends with Clem out in the country, and Season 2 would pick up right there. One of the coolest aspects of Episode 5’s ending was us (as Lee Everett) teaching Clementine how to play an adventure game. Walking her through getting the bat, breaking the glass and moving on – we were passing the main character torch to her. It makes perfect sense that season two kicks up with us as her. Perhaps the first episode of Season 2 is all about Clem’s journey from the jewelry store to that field. Then, Season 2’s second episode reveals the silhouettes on the hill to be either strangers or Christa and Omid (who survive Season 1 no matter what and were pretty keen on going to the country).

How Likely Is It?

Scenario 2: New Characters, Then the Crossover

Who are these people?!

What Is It?

Likely, but I’m not sold on it. Telltale gets its sick jollies by screwing with our preconceived notions. Look at Episode 5 – cutting off Lee’s arm could’ve been a cheap out for the developer saving its main character, but they stuck with the established lore. Telltale likes to throw curveballs. Picking up right where we left off is too mundane for these people. And if we were controlling Clem, why would the game go out of its way to tell us “Clementine will remember that” during Lee’s final instructions?Sometime next year, Telltale releases the first teaser image for The Walking Dead: The Game Season 2, and Clementine’s nowhere to be seen. The Internet freaks out. However, here’s how the game will go: we start as a new character, we meet the new group, and we cope as things go horribly wrong. Walkers tip over the walls and eat everyone but us and a friend; we’re forced to flee. In the final moments of the episode, we’re lamenting our luck as we cross a sun-covered hill, and then – bam – we see a little girl off in the distance. Credits roll.

How Likely Is It?

Scenario 3: The Far-Flung Future

“ But how sure are you that Clem shot Lee in the head?

Very Likely. With this option, Telltale gets the chance to flesh out the universe, and then we get to see how our final choices with Clem have changed her character. If we told her to avoid groups, does she run from our new character? If we didn’t tell her to keep her hair short, will she let it grow during Season 2? Bringing Clem back – whether she’s a fixture of Season 2 or just a one episode guest star – allows our choices as Lee to live on and intertwine with our new character.

What Is It?

Season 2 opens where Season 1 ended – Clem in the field with the two silhouettes on the hill. Thing is, we’re not playing. Instead, it’s a cutscene where Clem acts as Lee told her to in his final moments. If we said not to trust groups, she doesn’t say much to the duo. If we said to try and find people, she’s super-forthcoming. Anyway, the game then does a fast forward montage. We see Clem living her life in the zombie apocalypse and getting older. When the montage is done, Clem’s in her teens and we’re ready to set off on her next journey – perhaps a much older Kenny appears (We never saw him die, so believe that he is and will appear in Season 2 regardless of the scenario.) and needs Clem’s help to save his new family.

How Likely Is It?

Big Question: Is There a Zombie Lee?

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It ain’t going to happen. I could see Telltale being down with an older, smarter Clementine, but all sorts of continuity problems crop up. Remember, this series is based on the comic book series, which is ongoing. In the grand scheme of things, not that much time has passed in the comic book, so fast forwarding the universe means the game would be way out in front and Kirkman would need to worry about writing himself into corners annoying fans like myself would attack him for.This isn’t a scenario as much as it is a question for you: will zombie Lee Everett appear in Season 2? You figure, Telltale is a fan of doubling back through environments, so it would make sense that Scenario 2’s new survivors might cross paths with a jewelry store in front of the Marsh House.

How Likely Is It?

I say very. I’ve played Episode 5 a number of times, and there’s plenty of evidence to Zombie Lee being able to walk out just like Clem did. For starters, if you chose to not have Clem shoot you, Lee just slumps over next the radiator. Sure, he could be handcuffed to the floor, but if you had Clem handcuff the dead security guard, you’d know that zombies will just yank their rotting hand off to get out of the cuffs. Now, I know many of you are saying “I shot Lee in the head; he couldn’t be a zombie.” But how sure are you that Clem shot Lee in the head? On my first playthrough, I was certain, but I’ve seen that ending two more times, and now I’m not. Clem lines up the shot with Lee’s head, looks away, looks back and fires. But when she fires, she jerks toward the camera and we see the muzzle flash. The shot was lined up before the jerk to the left of the screen, so the jerk would mean she shot wide. On top of that, there’s a raspy breath after the shot when the screen goes black. Is it evidence that Lee wasn’t shot? Possibly, but it might just be Telltale teasing us.

What do you think? Pitch IGN your Season 2 theories in the comments below for the chance to be featured in our reader prediction piece in the coming days.

Greg is the executive editor of IGN PlayStation, cohost of Podcast Beyond and host of Up at Noon . Follow IGN on Twitter , and keep track of Greg's shenanigans on IGN and Twitter . Beyond!