With all of Life is Strange 2 episodes out in the wild and bringing players to tears, developers at Dontnod are finally free to speak on the franchise’s future. While at present the future remains uncertain, the creators have at least teased what they won’t explore in the event of a Life is Strange 3. The stories for Sean and Daniel, as well as Max and Chloe, are complete. If a third entry does see the light of day, it’ll focus on new characters fueled by new adventures.
Co-creative director Michel Koch and writer Jean-Luc Cano made note of the above in an interview with GameSpot. According to Cano, Dontnod presently isn’t sure of what’s next, considering the sequel just launched. However, the studio knows the stories of the leading protagonists from the previous two entries are “done.”
Life is Strange 2 focused on new characters but features notable Max and Chloe teases from the first series of episodes. As such, Dontnod isn’t ruling out the possibility of similar nods in future installments. Koch told GameSpot, “…if we are going to work on another Life is Strange, it’s a shared universe so there are possibilities. But definitely as a full story, I think those games are both a beginning and an ending for them, and I think we really want to continue to explore new characters, new themes, and new ways of storytelling.”
Koch later added that, ultimately, series owners Square Enix would get the final say. Yet, the creative team much prefers the “anthology format” that Life is Strange has, thus far, adhered to.
…as creators, we really enjoy this anthology format, and it’s really interesting for us to try to think about brand new characters and brand new stories. So we could also share new scenes and bring something new for the players and just to not, again, have the same ideas and just maybe bring them some new perspective on another story.
This sentiment aligns with what the studio said during the lead up to Life is Strange 2’s first episode last fall. While characters like the two beloved duos rest at the heart of the franchise, they don’t necessarily define it. What does are relatable characters in general, people who players can relate to. This, paired with addressing social issues, serves as the crux of a Life is Strange experience, alongside a dollop of the supernatural, of course.
All five Life is Strange 2 episodes are available to purchase now digitally. Retail versions will release in February 2020.
[Source: GameSpot]
