Tag: Life Is Strange
News Life Is Strange: Double Exposure Wins GDC Social Impact Award, But Everyone Got Laid Off
No one left to accept the honour
In one of the sadder, more revealing tales we've heard recently, Life Is Strange: Double Exposure was honoured by the industry at the Game Developers Choice Awards 2025, winning the Social Impact category. However, following repeated rounds of layoffs after the sequel's poor sales perfor
News Square Enix Takes 'Large Loss' on Life Is Strange: Double Exposure
Doesn't sound so strange
Life Is Strange: Double Exposure's disconnect between critics and fans previously perplexed Square Enix, but it has since revealed what was probably obvious to many: Max Caulfield's return failed to meet the firm's financial expectations, and sales of the game were a "large loss" for the company. That's according to Square...
News Square Enix Wonders Why Life is Strange: Double Exposure Didn't Work Out
Max Caulfield's return should have been a sure-fire bet
Life Is Strange: Double Exposure just came and went last October, with seemingly dismal sales leading to developer Deck Nine Studios conducting a second round of layoffs in 2024. Publisher Square Enix appears to think it should have made more of a splash, or at least been better, and we're...
News Life Is Strange: Double Exposure Dev Hit with Second Round of Layoffs
Overexposed
2024 has been so dire for video game development that we are now in the business of reporting on repeat layoffs at the same studios. Case in point, Deck Nine, which endured a 20% reduction in headcount back in February, has announced it will be doing it all over again, just in time for the holidays. Poste
News Don't Nod Dev Pushes Back on 'Hateful' Life Is Strange: Double Exposure Comments
But admits that he wouldn't have "written things the same way"
Don't Nod creative director Michel Koch has reacted to some of the "hateful" comments directed at Deck Nine employees for their take on the Life is Strange franchise in Double Exposure. Dontnod Entertainment, the publisher's development studio, made the mainline games in the franchise,...
News Life is Strange: Double Exposure Spoiled by Square Enix's Early Access and Hubris
$30 upgrade has gone awry
When Square Enix boldly proclaimed it would charge fans $30 for the privilege of playing Life is Strange: Double Exposure's first two episodes a full fortnight early, we knew the pioneering publisher was plumbing uncharted depths of monetization. However, we did not consider data miners, who took less than 48 hours to rip...
Preview Double Exposure Stretches Life Is Strange Across Two Gripping PS5 Timelines
Max returns in 30-minute Gamescom demo
The Life Is Strange franchise is at its best whenever Max Caulfield is around, so Double Exposure already has a leg up on its predecessors. The latest narrative entry on PS5 marks only the second time the popular protagonist has played the lead role, and Deck Nine Games isn't purely leaning on her welcome...
News Okay, Max's Powers in the New PS5 Life Is Strange Game Look Awesome
Exposed
Personally, we’ve always felt Life Is Strange is at its best when it’s being grounded, but we appreciate a big part of the franchise is how its characters’ powers intertwine with the storyline. And we reckon heroine Max Caulfield’s evolved dimension hopping abilities could be the best conceit the series has come up with yet, as it...
News Life Is Strange: Double Exposure's Caledon University Looks Like a Hotspot for Hipsters on PS5
Hip hip hooray
It’s really rare we get grounded settings in games. No seriously, think about – most games are set in fantasy worlds or space. There are exceptions, of course: Hitman is one of this author’s favourites for its virtual tourism, and series like GTA offer relatively familiar sandboxes – even if they are cartoonish and...
New screenshots reveal all the designs
Square Enix has shared a fresh set of screenshots that showcases the Final Fantasy VII-themed clothing you can dress Max Caulfied up in if you buy the Ultimate Edition of Life Is Strange: Double Exposure. Including turtlenecks, hats, and jumpers, they feature chocobos, moogles, and an assortment of enemies from...
News Life Is Strange: Double Exposure Is a Detective PS5 Game with a Supernatural Side
Max power
Following its announcement a few days ago, Square Enix has hosted a livestream for Life Is Strange: Double Exposure, the Deck Nine developed sequel starring Max Caulfield. In it, it delves into all the game’s details, including its setting, story, and superpowers. Effectively, this is another detective game, albeit with a college campus...
News Square Enix Offers $30 Upgrade to Play Life is Strange: Double Exposure Two Weeks Early
"Hella f*** off!"
A few days of early access for anticipated games, single-player and multiplayer, is something we're seeing publishers increasingly try, and we've been guilty of coughing up extra for the privilege ourselves in certain select cases. Square Enix, always a trailblazer, has taken this concept the furthest we've yet seen, offering a $30...
News Max Caulfield Returns in Life Is Strange: Double Exposure on PS5
Out in October
Well-loved Life Is Strange protagonist Max Caulfield is back, in an all-new murder mystery adventure, Life Is Strange: Double Exposure, due out on 29th October for PS5. Developed once again by Deck Nine, the team behind the equally excellent Life Is Strange: True Colors, the release will cast an older Max at university, when her world...
News Life is Strange Crosses Hella Impressive 20 Million Player Mark
"When a door closes, a window opens... Or something like that"
Developer DON'T NOD (formerly known as DONTNOD Entertainment) rose to prominence with 2015's angsty tale of teenage time travel, Life is Strange. Announced today, the title that would go on to spawn multiple sequels has crossed the hella good 20 million player mark. There's an important...
News Unsurprisingly, Life Is Strange PS4's Remaster for PS4 Looks Familiar
A remaster for the same system
What do you get when you remaster a game for the same console? Life Is Strange Remastered Collection, apparently. You may remember that Life Is Strange originally launched for the PlayStation 4 earlier in the generation, and it’s being remastered for, well, the PS4 as part of this re-release. The changes are subtle,...
News Life Is Strange Remastered Turns Back Time on 1st February
Butterfly effect
The delayed Life Is Strange Remastered Collection will turn back on time on 1st February, publisher Square Enix has announced. The bundle includes improved versions of both the original Life Is Strange and prequel Life Is Strange: Before the Storm. Both games will boast remastered character and environment visuals, as well as...
News Here's 13 Minutes of Life Is Strange: True Colors Gameplay
HMV
Life Is Strange: True Colors is just a few weeks away from release at this point, meaning it's time for publisher Square Enix to share as much as it can about the game without spoiling things. The big media blast in the lead up to launch has arrived, and today we've been treated to 13 minutes of raw gameplay featuring protagonist Alex Chen. All...
News Become a Local Radio Station DJ in Life Is Strange: True Colors' Wavelengths DLC
Choose playlists and ad-lib over commercials in neat expansion
Life Is Strange: True Colors’ previously announced Wavelengths DLC, which is due out on 30th September, will add depth to supporting character Steph, as you become a DJ for Haven Springs’ local radio station. The expansion – set across four seasons – will see you controlling the...
News Life Is Strange: True Colors Adding DLC Episode, Remasters Delayed
Steph to star in Wavelengths
Life Is Strange: True Colors is still on track for its 10th September release date – despite a heart-stopping letter being published on the series’ social media accounts – but Life Is Strange Remastered and Life Is Strange: Before the Storm Remastered will not deploy until Early 2022. Square Enix explained that...
News Life Is Strange Remastered Collection Feels a 30th September Release Date
Here are some comparisons
Here’s your first look at the Life Is Strange Remastered Collection, which is slated to release on 30th September for PlayStation 4. The trailer – which was showcased during Square Enix Presents livestream earlier today – includes several side-by-sides, showing the improvements that have been made. To be honest, we...
News Life Is Strange: True Colors Outlines Psychic Empathy Powers
Feelin' this
We’ve already seen a fair amount of Life Is Strange: True Colors, but Deck Nine has been keeping protagonist Alex Chen’s powers close to its collective chest. This video outlines in a little more detail how it works: her ability to sense emotion, and how she can use that to make meaningful decisions in the game. It’s not the...
News Scarlet Nexus, Life Is Strange: True Colors Reveal PS5 Controller Features
Full support for DualSense, of course
Sony’s promoting the PlayStation 5 controller hard today. Along with the announcement that two new colours will be joining the platform’s product portfolio, the firm has also invited a half-dozen developers onto the PS Blog in order to talk about how they’re leveraging the hardware. Much of this we already...
News Steph Still Likes to LARP in Life Is Strange: True Colors
And you can romance her
Life Is Strange: True Colors is a brand new story with a fresh cast of characters, but one face fans will already be familiar with is Steph. Those of you who played spin-off Life Is Strange: Before the Storm will recall the character from Arcadia Bay, where she spent a lot of time playing tabletop RPGs. This new video fills...
News Life Is Strange: True Colors Showcases Stunning Performance Capture in Opening Scene
A new adventure for Alex
Life Is Strange: True Colors is clearly showing off with its opening scene, which publisher Square Enix has shared online today. The scene centres on protagonist Alex Chen, who’s chatting with her social worker about her time in foster care and the new life that awaits her in Haven Springs with her brother, Gabe. The...
News Life Is Strange Remastered Collection Adds Full Facial Mocap on PS5, PS4
And all content
Life Is Strange Remastered Collection will launch on PlayStation 5 and PS4 later this year, and it’ll feature new visuals and animations that promise to “breathe new life into the great cast of characters and gripping stories”. The bundle – available as part of new game Life Is Strange: True Colors’ Ultimate Edition and as...
News Life Is Strange: True Colors Confirmed for PS5 and PS4, Out This September
Developed by Deck Nine
Announced as part of the inaugural Square Enix Presents livestream, Life Is Strange: True Colors will be coming to both PlayStation 5 and PS4 on 10th September 2021. Development is being led by Deck Nine Games, who previously worked on Life Is Strange: Before the Storm. This news all but confirms a
News New Life Is Strange Protagonist Teased Ahead of Square Enix Stream
Hella hype
Here’s our first look at the next Life Is Strange protagonist: albeit a mysterious image that doesn’t reveal a lot. There’s already speculation, due to the way the shot is framed, that the character could be disabled or an amputee – of course, it’s also possible that they may just have their right arm hugging their chest. We...
News Next Life Is Strange Game to Be Announced During New Square Enix Livestream
40 minutes of news and reveals
The next entry in the Life Is Strange series will be revealed during a new Nintendo Direct-style online presentation from Square Enix on 18th March 2021. The game will feature an entirely new cast, a new power, and a new story (that last one is sort of obvious). That's not all, however, as the new title will form only...
News DONTNOD Secures Investment from Tencent Raising Questions About Life Is Strange
Deck Nine apparently in charge of the series now
There’s increasing speculation about developer DONTNOD and its role in the Life Is Strange series. Earlier this week, the French studio announced a €30 million (~$36 million) financing deal with Chinese juggernaut Tencent, which it said would allow it to create “new self-published intellectual...
Soapbox Despite Being a Good Game, Life Is Strange 2 Wasn't Worth the Wait
Liam got tired of waiting
When it comes to episodic content, Hitman and Life Is Strange 2 are at complete polar opposites of one another. The 2016 reboot of Agent 47's stealthy escapades was lauded for its approach to content rollout -- giving players a new map, set of scenarios, and tons of challenges every two or so months to experiment with. It...
News Life Is Strange 2's Latest Episode Has a New Trailer
For anyone still, y'know, interested
Life Is Strange 2 continues to chug along at a glacial pace, with its third episode due out on 9th May. The series – which won’t be concluded until much later in the year – has actually been thoroughly enjoyable so far, but the slow roll-out and unfamiliar characters seems to have put off existing fans...
News Life Is Strange 2 Is Being Drawn Out All the Way to December 2019
Are you cereal?
Life Is Strange 2 is a bit of an odd one, isn't it? It's episodic like its the first game, but unlike its predecessor, the gaps between each episode are gigantic. The first chapter released in September 2018, and it was four months later when we eventually got Episode 2. Unfortunately, that trend is set to continue throughout the...
News Life Is Strange 2: Episode 2 Launch Trailer Shows Crossover with Captain Spirit
Out tomorrow
The second episode of Life Is Strange 2 has taken quite a long time to emerge, but it's very nearly here. Launching tomorrow, Square Enix has put out a new trailer to mark the occasion, and you can watch it above. This episode is named 'Rules' and, going by this video, it's pretty easy to understand why. As with the first
News Life Is Strange 2: Episode 2 Keeps Walking on 24th January
Captain Spirit returns
Life Is Strange 2: Episode 2 will finally release on 24th January – an incredible four months after the first instalment. It’ll plot the return of an important character: Captain Spirit. Here’s the blurb from the press release: “As the two brothers struggle against the cold, Daniel gets increasingly ill. Sean decides...
News Life Is Strange 2's Second Episode Will Have Taken Four Months to Release
Due out in January
Life Is Strange 2 has proved to be, perhaps aptly, a bit of a strange one, hasn’t it? The sequel’s first episode launched in September with very little fanfare, even though it’s actually really, really good. While we’d expected the second instalment to be out by now, developer DONTNOD’s taken to its Tumblr page to...
News New Life Is Strange 2 Trailer Provides One Final Look Before Launch on PS4
First episode out next week
Prepare for some teen angst and indie tunes: Life Is Strange 2 is just around the corner. Square Enix has released a final trailer for the game ahead of the release of the first episode, which is due out on 26th September 2018. In case you've not been keeping up, this sequel moves away from the time-shifting antics of...
News Square Enix Partners with Deck Nine on New Title
Before the storm
Square Enix has extended its external development partnership with Life Is Strange: Before the Storm creator Deck Nine. The pair will collaborate on a new title, although it’s keeping the nature of the project under wraps for the time being. Our assumption? It’ll have something to do with DONTNOD’s teen series. “The...
News Follow the Road to Life Is Strange 2 in New Dev Documentary
Crossing the border
Rather than dole out piecemeal developer diaries, DONTNOD has dropped a huge 10 minute documentary detailing the production of Life Is Strange 2, which details the art direction, voice actors, soundtrack, and much more. It’s a slickly produced clip that should get you in the mood for the sequel – particularly if you were fond...
Gamescom 2018 Life Is Strange 2 Looks Much Better in Gameplay Reveal
We're in
Life Is Strange 2’s announcement trailer wasn’t particularly inspiring, but this 20 minute gameplay reveal is much better. It sets up the story for the brand new game, which will see Sean and Daniel Diaz on the run. DONTNOD definitely hasn’t lost its touch, as this opening is filled with awkward teenage exchanges – and some of the...
News Run Away with Life Is Strange 2's PS4 Reveal Trailer
Over the wall
Life Is Strange 2 will flee its predecessor’s high school setting, opting for a brand new tale about brothers on the run. The game will star Sean and Daniel Diaz, who you may recall from The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit. When the pair inadvertently murder a police officer, they find themselves with no option but to flee...
News Life Is Strange 2 Will Reveal All on 20th August
Hella hype
As anticipated, DONTNOD will pull back the curtain on Life Is Strange 2 around Gamescom 2018, with the sequel set to be officially detailed on 20th August. There’s a new teaser trailer embedded above, which features dash cam footage of some kind of road accident – although it seems that the crash is caused by some kind of telekinesis...
News Life Is Strange 2 Will Set You Back $40
A significant increase
Life Is Strange is big business these days, with DONTNOD’s slice of life series spawning tons of merchandise and now multiple games. In the aftermath of last year’s prequel Before the Storm, all eyes are now on the franchise’s long-awaited sequel – and publisher Square Enix seems to recognise that it has a hit on its...
News Life Is Strange 2 Starts a New Story from 27th September
More in August
The sequel to teen drama Life Is Strange will start on 27th September, a mysterious trailer has revealed. The video shows stitching on a hold-all, but doesn’t give much away. We’ll get our first taste of the long-awaited sequel in next week’s The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit – a standalone mini-story designed to...
Review Life Is Strange: Before the Storm - Bonus Episode: Farewell (PS4)
Friends reunited
Life Is Strange: Before the Storm’s final episode bids a fond Farewell to Max and Chloe before their story’s even properly began. Set days prior to Miss Caulfield’s departure to Seattle, developer Deck Nine promised this would be a happy send-off for series creator DONTNOD’s beloved teenage pairing. Well, it’ll leave you...
News Life Is Strange: Before the Storm Breaks Hearts at Retail in March
Update: Bonus episode Farewell launches 6th March
The tragic tale of Chloe and Rachel’s whirlwind romance will reach retail on 6th March, as Square Enix packages up its episodic prequel Life Is Strange: Before the Storm. There are a ridiculous three versions available, so stick with us or we’ll give you some classic Miss Price lip. First and...
News Life Is Strange: Before the Storm Will Make Your Christmas Complete
Final episode out 20th December
Chloe Price and Rachel Amber’s story will come to a conclusion in Life Is Strange: Before the Storm’s third and final episode Hell Is Empty on 20th December. Here’s what publisher Square Enix has had to say about the instalment so far: “As her friendship with Rachel reaches new heights of emotion, Chloe...
News Ashly Burch, Hannah Telle to Reprise Life Is Strange Roles for Bonus Episode
Chloe and Max back together
With the voice acting strike over, Ashly Burch will reprise her role as Chloe Price in Life Is Strange: Before the Storm’s bonus episode, Farewell. Hannah Telle – who played Max Caulfield in the original series – will also return, marking a comeback of sorts. Rhianna DeVries adopted the role of Chloe for the main...
News Life Is Strange Enters a Brave New World in Episode 2
4K functionality added to PS4 Pro
Just a swift heads up: Life Is Strange: Before the Storm’s second episode is live now around the world. The middle instalment of Deck Nine’s prequel side-story will see Chloe Price and new BFF Rachel Amber attempt to flee the clutches of Arcadia Bay, but as local dealer Frank Bowers makes one final request,...
News Life Is Strange: Before the Storm Ushers a Brave New World Next Week
Baes in the Bay
It’s time! Life Is Strange: Before the Storm’s second episode, Brave New World, will debut on the PlayStation Store next week. Set to release on 19th October, the latest instalment will pick up directly after the events of the first episode, where Chloe and Rachel’s friendship was just beginning to formulate before… Well,...
Gamescom 2017 Life Is Strange: Before the Storm Finds a New BFF in Launch Trailer
Girls just wanna have fun
It’s not long until we learn about the nature of Chloe Price and Rachel Amber’s relationship in Life Is Strange: Before the Storm, and Square Enix has released a launch trailer in conjunction with Gamescom 2017 that sets the scene. The first episode in this mini-series is scheduled to get underway on 31st August – and...
