DONTNOD says no “hating” on Life is Strange sequel by Deck Nine

"Nothing justifies hating" on Double Exposure.

A member of Life is Strange developer DONTNOD has lashed out against those “hating” on a direct sequel, Life is Strange Double Exposure, as developed by the new keeper of the franchise, Deck Nine.

“Since the release of [Double Exposure] I’ve seen a lot of tension and hateful messages against Deck Nine devs,” DONTNOD creative director Michel Koch wrote on Twitter. “I didn’t play the game yet, and I have no idea where they are taking the story. But what I know is that nothing justifies hating on people for how they wrote their game!”

“You can be disappointed, you can want other narratives for those characters you love, or different stories… but ultimately creation is hard and very subjective and if [Double Exposure‘s] story does not please you, it does not erase what you imagined,” Koch continued.

DONTNOD developed Life is Strange, an indirect sequel with new characters titled Life is Strange 2, and a LiS2 tie-in called The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit. IP owner Square Enix engaged Deck Nine for a prequel called Life is Strange Before the Storm, another indirect sequel called Life is Strange True Colors, and Double Exposure, a direct sequel to the original game starring protagonists Max and Chloe.

“From what I read I think we would not have written things the same way,” Koch said when asked about how Deck Nine has handled Max and Chloe. “But I felt the same with the comics and Before the Storm and I kind of accepted it. I’m pretty sure when I play the full game I won’t recognize my characters but that’s also inevitable with different writers.”

DONTNOD has clearly moved on from the Life is Strange franchise, and will release its new take on the genre (and themes?) with Lost Records Bloom and Rage on PC and consoles in February 2025.

Life is Strange Double Exposure is out now on Windows PC, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X but Square Enix has limited contact with Stevivor of late… right about when Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was confirmed as a PS5 console exclusive. Weird coincidence, there.