Summary
Deck Nine, the developer behindLife is Strange: True Colors, has announced it has laid off 20% of its staff amid “worsening marketing conditions.” TheLife is Strange: True Colorsdeveloper isn’t alone, with many other studios making huge cutbacks at this moment in time.
Released in 2021,Life is Strange: True Colorswas seen as a return to form for the franchise, after the second iteration fell short of many fans' expectations. Deck Nine had worked on the franchise before, having been in charge of the prequel to the original game:Life is Strange: Before the Storm. Now fully in charge of the series after Don’t Nod moved on to other projects, Deck Nine brought some of thehardest choices found inLife is Strangegames, and told an emotionally resonant story with a cool new power. It’s been some time since then though, and the industry is in a totally different shape from whenLife is Strange: True Colorswas released.
Deck Nine Games confirmed the news on Twitter, blaming “worsening market conditions” for the decision to lay off 20% of the studio’s staff, while encouraging any studios to hire the “amazing, talented, and awesome developers.” Earlier,Baldur’s Gate 3studio Larian urged laid-off developers to apply, and hopefully, other companies share the same attitude during what is an incredibly difficult period for the industry.
Life is Strange: True Colors Developer Lays Off 20% of its Workforce
However, this round of layoffs is not the first for the company. In May 2023, Deck Nine Games laid off 30 staff before the release ofThe Expanse: The Telltale Series, which it co-developed alongside Telltale Games. This makes it a brutal second round of layoffs in less than a 12-month period. Despite the strong performance ofLife is Strange: True Colorsback in 2021, it hasn’t been enough to exempt the company from this industry-wide issue a few years later. With this news in mind, it’ll be interesting to see how thefuture of theLife is Strangefranchisepans out, with less staff to work on whatever comes next.
It’s a sorry state of affairs in the games industry right now. News of more layoffs is arriving daily, and it seems like no studio is escaping unscathed at the moment. Recently, news broke ofhuge layoffs at PlayStation, which even resulted in the entire London studio shutting down, as well as the cancelation of an unannouncedTwisted Metalreboot. It’s been brutal and nonstop, and the Deck Nine news is just the latest blow in a string of terrible announcements in this regard. With no sign of it stopping any time soon, all there’s left to do is hope that it subsides, and these talented individuals can find new homes soon enough.
Life Is Strange: True Colors
WHERE TO PLAY
A bold new era of the award-winning Life is Strange begins, with an all-new playable lead character and a thrilling mystery to solve!Alex Chen has long suppressed her ‘curse’: the supernatural ability to experience, absorb and manipulate the strong emotions of others, which she sees as blazing, colored auras.When her brother dies in a so-called accident, Alex must embrace her volatile power to find the truth – and uncover the dark secrets buried by a small town.THE TRUTH WILL HURT: Discover the shocking secrets behind your brother’s death in an emotional roller-coaster of an adventure.FEEL EVERYTHING: Change fate and change lives with the psychic power of Empathy.FORGE DEEP RELATIONSHIPS: Build trust with the townsfolk – and embrace friendship or romance with Ryan and Steph.A TRULY PERSONAL STORY: Make tough decisions and choose your own future. Freely roam the streets, stores, and hidden spaces of Haven Springs and meet unforgettable characters.FIND YOUR VOICE: And decide Alex’s style, with up to 24 outfits in your wardrobe.EXCLUSIVE SOUNDTRACK: New tracks by mxmtoon and Novo Amor, and extensive licensed songs including Radiohead, Phoebe Bridgers, Gabrielle Aplin, and more.
