Square Enix Is Asking Life is Strange Fans For Feedback Due To Poor Sales

TNS: "Life is Strange: Double Exposure fans are getting contacted by Square Enix to give their feedback about the game."

[Christopher]

I think most people just don't want more Life is Strange games. It's a niche market. Very niche.

[Eonjay]

I totally agree. Or at least slow down with the releases. Ubisoft has done so much damage to
Assassin's Creed simply by releasing too many of them.

[VivaChe]

The first LIS had an interesting and novel gameplay mechanic that made it stand out. The subsequent ones are just interactive stories, with less and less interesting gameplay, from what I found when I played them. So, when a new one comes out, I am not nearly as interested in playing another one of what will likely be the same, but just more.

[Dirty_Lemons]

I agree. I thoroughly enjoyed 1, BtS and TC. That was enough, I have no interest in seeing Max again, her story was told.

[vTuro24]

Shouldn't they be asking this to the people that decided not to buy it?

[anast]

If they don't know why their sales are poor and weren't able to project this, they need to look internally.

[bacano]

I loved LiS 1 and 2, played the second one with my teenage daughter and it was heartwarming. However, I found 3 to be very slow and it required more commitment to get involved I think. We only played the first chapter.

[Inverno]

it's really not that hard. Life is Strange is a slice of life with a supernatural twist to it. Just hire any manga author that has written a slice of life and it'll be better than all the other games you've shat out in the series so far. No idea why they thought bringing back Max would equate to sales, it was never about her. They've made the series an absolute cringe fest catering to the crowd that tries to ship every platonic friendship, being preachy, and forcibly inclusive. You've missed the entire point.

[babadivad]

Hire Sweet Baby, got it.

[CrimsonWing69]

I mean, do you guys not have a finger on the pulse of your consumers now? There’s literally a f*cking culture war going on and these games are specifically catered to a particular demographic, one that apparently isn’t giving you the sales you want. I think maybe flip the script on things, make it a little more risqué, a little less worried about social awareness being something up front, maybe raise the stakes more, change up the style.

It’s like @Christopher said, it’s a very niche market for this game and I fell off after the second installment with the brothers, which I enjoyed, but seeing the next entry just didn’t resonate with me. If you tried something that’s more intense and not trying to cater to a specific audience, I’d give it another shot.

[RhinoGamer88]

Square has a large marketing and pr team...they should have extensively tested the game in beta.

[Alos88]

They tried making a followup to a game with multiple endings, where the ending choices were controversial to begin with. There was never any winning here- going back to Max was a bad idea from the start.

[jambola]

Life is strange is a game I genuinely cherish, or whatever reason it has stuck with me over 10 years later
The characters were likable (even to hate) the gameplay was fun and entertaining to figure out puzzles with, and is had a nice unique look to it even
it was a simple enough story about Max just living out some school life, reconnecting with a friend, and a mystery happening

then 2 came out and a chapter in a Mexican kid is shot by police, a redneck kidnaps you and says "you're why we need to build that wall" and the game even looked more generic
t
he 3rd game looked like it was made by tumblr

I can't comment on the new game, haven't played yet
but it looks weird, and kind of ugly if I'm honest
and after all the games from DontNod in between, It's hard to have much hope or interest

[babadivad]

First game's soundtrack was elite.

[TricksterArrow]

DontNod is not involved with the series anymore. Not since LiS 2. It’s Deck Nine.

[gold_drake]

LiS1 and before the storm were really great but the rest .. not so much.

the newest one is like a copy and paste of the og one ha.

not sure why ppl didnt buy it, maybe tmit wasnt intriguing enough.

[Knushwood Butt]

'LiS1 and before the storm were really great but the rest .. not so much.'.

I enjoyed those fisst two.
Recently started playing 2 and for whatever reason just never got past thd3 bit early on with the cops as mentioned above. Dunno why. Maybe that incident just happened too soon and feltit was mainly there to shock you? Something just felt a bit off.

[gold_drake]

2 was abit odd. it definitely had a certain agenda that just didn't resonate with me. it was more politically driven than a murder timetravel mystery the first one was.

and the little brother annoying asf ha.

[babadivad]

It was getting stale with Before the Storm.

[TrueRican69]

Ubsoft did to much damage to all they games. With all that woke shit.

[Knightofelemia]

I liked the Max and Chloe was good I played some of Life is Strange 2 and I was bored. And the third game I avoided because it looked to woke.

[Miacosa]

The series has run its course and it's time to move on to something new.

[JimBeans]

Put them all together in one game so I don't have to look up what order to play them in.

[Pedrof]

I just don't get in what name they label "fans" people who... just bought and played the game. I buy and play a lot of games, that sure as hell doesn't make me a fan of each and every one of them.

[porkChop]

I just don't think LiS needed to be an ongoing series. We need more one-offs in gaming.

[Bebedora]

What about that lipstick? Whats up with the colour? Must be a b*tch
And the atitude.. boi-you!

[paddy95]

don't rely on feedback to design the game. If the designers have vision of something good then people will buy it. if not then do something they do have one for or its a soulless cash grab and will fail. Usually the issue is bad leadership with no vision

[Blaze929]

Series should've ended in 2019 to be honest. They milking it and wonder why no more milk left

[bigfish]

Make a guardians of the galaxy sequel

[babadivad]

On the nose contemporary politics. Ruins any game or series.

[Kyizen]

Poor sales but surveys were only to those who bought the game. So how are they going to get feed back from people who didn't...smh

[shaenoide]

They released a sequel that no one was asking about in the first place...

[GrmpyolGamer]

Times are tough and people are being more selective with their money.

[__y2jb]

DEI simulator is unpopular. What a surprise.

[waytoobad]

Get woke go broke. Life is Strange 2 was propaganda from start to finish non stop.

[RiseNShine]

Stop being a woke checklist and make a good game for once. Life is Strange DE wasn't too bad at first but it become terrible after the doppleganger "reveal", then spiraled downwards, but almost all characters and interactions are a woke case book. The irony is that LIS1 had a ton of social justice elements like bullying and suicide, climate change, etc but 1) it handed it delightfully and thoughtfully, instead of shoving it in your face 2) Decisions mattered 3) gameplay elements were brilliant like time manipulation in LIS1, where the mechanics in the rest of LIS games where average or straight terrible (LIS2 specifically and the laughable Padawan training was a joke).

[BlackCountryBob]

I remember playing Life is Strange years ago, loved it as an episodic game done right with a clever mechanic at a time when Telltale had become stale (where’s Wolf Among Us 2?). Honestly until this moment, I had no idea it had a sequel never mind multiple sequels.

So perhaps that’s the problem