Square Enix has responded to claims it removed datamined details and anonymous comments from staff who worked on Life is Strange: Double Exposure at developer Deck Nine Games.
The claims arose in an open letter from fans posted to the Life is Strange reddit r/Pricefield, which described recent content removals by “undue DMCA strikes” as attempts by Life is Strange’s publisher to exert “behind-the-scenes editorial control”.
Square Enix has now acknowledged it was behind the DMCA strikes, but said that “all steps were in accordance with appropriate legal requirements”.
The spat comes amid a period of tension between some diehard Life is Strange fans and both Deck Nine Games and Square Enix, sparked by story elements in last month’s Double Exposure. Specifically, some fans – particularly those who post on the r/Pricefield reddit – were left disgruntled by the game’s handling of fan-favourite character Chloe. (“Pricefield” is the relationship name of returning series protagonist Max Caulfield and her blue-haired BFF Chloe Price.)
Disapproval for how the game handles Chloe began before Double Exposure first launched, thanks to pre-release leaks that popped up from fans datamining the game’s early access version and pointed posts on social media suggesting displeasure by members of Life is Strange’s original development team Don’t Nod, before the series’ original director finally waded in to call for calm.
Over on reddit, the situation was compounded by posts from several anonymous commenters who claimed to have worked on Double Exposure (and who provided some decent proof they had done so), who made a number of claims regarding how the game’s story had changed through development, and been shaped by feedback from Square Enix itself.
The suggestion that Square Enix was acting to scrub mentions of this, and in particular developers allegedly speaking out of turn, sparked the open letter to be created.
“With this recent [removed post], which contained only publicly made comments by D9 and ex-D9 developers, there is no ambiguity left – Square Enix is either willfully removing non-infringing content for reasons other than infringement (which is explicitly NOT the authority or purpose of the DMCA), or doesn’t believe that the great power granted to them by the DMCA should come with great responsibility,” the open letter alleged.
“One of these options is merely callous, the other is outright abuse of a system which, frustratingly, has no repercussions for abuse. We are concerned that Square Enix is attempting to editorialise this subreddit.”
In response, in a statement first shared by Metro, Square Enix said it had removed “infringing content” that included “leaks or confidential information due to breach of non-disclosure agreements and datamined content”.
The publisher’s full statement lies below:
“In relation to DMCA notices, all steps taken were in accordance with appropriate legal requirements and reddit’s own procedures for reporting intellectual property violations,” a Square Enix spokesperson said.
“These processes apply to infringing content shared prior to a game’s release, including leaks or confidential information due to breach of non-disclosure agreements and datamined content. No DMCA notices were sent regarding any posts outside of these circumstances.”
The r/Pricefield reddit community has taken Square Enix’s confirmation it removed information in breach of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) as confirmation the publisher was trying to remove confidential details that would further inflame fans.
But while certain posts, such as this summary of developer comments, have been removed, Eurogamer is still able to find various original comments by users claiming to be Deck Nine staff still remaining, alongside photos of physical items related to the game’s development they posted as proof of their identity.
In Eurogamer’s Life is Strange: Double Exposure review, I described Chloe’s storyline in the game as “wholly believable” and that, ultimately, there was little room for the character this time around – even if her absence could have been handled better.
“There are good reasons other than nostalgia and fan familiarity for why a solo return to Max is interesting,” I wrote. Still, could this inevitable reaction have been handled better by the game, had the desire seemingly been there? Sure.”
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