Double Exposure Developer Announces Layoffs

Deck Nine Games, the developer behind the recent title Life is Strange: Double Exposure, has announced its second round of layoffs in 2024. The Life is Strange: Double Exposure studio is one of many developers that have made difficult cuts in a challenging year for the games industry.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure was released in October, continuing the story of the original game’s protagonist, Max Caulfield. The character’s return was much anticipated by long-time fans of the franchise, although it didn’t quite go as planned for Deck Nine Games. Life is Strange: Double Exposure launched to lukewarm critical reception, with plenty of criticism aimed at some of the narrative choices made for the game. On this issue, critics and many fans were largely aligned.

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A statement shared on Deck Nine Games’ Twitter account by CEO Mark Lyons confirmed that the Life is Strange: Double Exposure studio had made the decision to lay off staff. According to the statement, this “difficult decision… reflects the challenging times many companies in our industry are currently facing.” In a message to the developers themselves, the studio says it is “committed to supporting you in this transition in any way we can.” Deck Nine Games did not share an exact figure for the number of staff affected by the layoffs or how it will affect future Life is Strange games.

Deck Nine Games Announces Second Round of Layoffs in 2024

Unfortunately, this represents Deck Nine Games’ second round of layoffs in 2024. At the beginning of the year, Deck Nine Games laid off 20% of its staff, again citing “the game industry’s worsening market conditions” at the time. It seems that despite the release of its flagship title, this situation has hardly improved for the developer. Before this, it also laid off 30 staff back in May 2023, too. It’s representative of the industry at large, which continues to face high-profile layoffs on what seems to be a daily basis. This challenging period for the games industry remains ongoing.

It remains to be seen what the studio has in store for the future of the Life is Strange franchise. The announcement of Life is Strange: Double Exposure was a pleasant surprise, but came a little out of the blue. Those who have played the most recent game in the series know that there are hints towards the future, but it’s unclear how or whether these layoffs will affect these plans going forward.

Max Caulfield, photographer-in-residence at the prestigious Caledon University, discovers her closest new friend, Safi, dead in the snow.

Murdered.

To save her, Max tries to Rewind time – a power she’s not used in years… instead, Max opens the way to a parallel timeline where Safi is still alive, and still in danger!

Max realizes the killer will soon strike again – in both versions of reality.

With her new power to Shift between two timelines – can Max solve and prevent the same murder?

ORDINARY GIRL, EXTRAORDINARY POWER
Max is thrust into a thrilling supernatural murder mystery – more dangerous than ever before!

TRAVERSE TWO TIMELINES
Forge allies and pursue suspects across two versions of reality, shaping both timelines through unforgettable choices.

RACE AGAINST TIME
A relentless detective has Max in his sights, and Safi’s killer grows closer with every clue uncovered. Can Max survive long enough – to do the impossible?

DECIDE THE FATE OF CALEDON
Explore two versions of a vivid winter campus, each packed with clues, secrets, and tough decisions.

Franchise

Life is Strange

Released

October 29, 2024

Engine

Unreal Engine 3

ESRB

t

OpenCritic Rating

Fair

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