LogInThis is the developer’s second round of job cuts in 2024.
Deck Nine Games, creators of several games in the Life is Strange franchise, including the last installment, Life Is Strange: Double Exposure, has announced layoffs. This is the developer’s second round of job cuts this year, and the bad timing of this announcement — half a month before Christmas — makes it even more sad.
CEO Mark Lyons gives no specific reason for this “extremely difficult decision,” unlike the last time, which happened in February this year and was said to be a result of "deteriorating market conditions in the gaming industry.” There is also no mention of the number of employees affected at this time.
Yet, things might have been different if the studio’s latest project, Life Is Strange: Double Exposure, had been received or sold well. The game was officially released on October 29 but gave buyers of the $80 Ultimate Edition two weeks’ early access to chapters 1 and 2, which created huge controversy and complaints within the community even before the game was out.
Deck Nine Games
Except for this baffling decision, the game’s reception was lukewarm. Although the overall review score is around 70% positive, many players were disappointed with the writing and story, which was the greatly celebrated point, if not most, of why this franchise was loved by many. Some have felt that the story had flopped deeply and that the writing was poor, calling it “hollow and insincere.”
Deck Nine is not the only developer to let go of staff during the last month of 2024. Last week, Ubisoft’s San Francisco and Osaka offices are closing their doors as XDefiant to be shut down, leaving 277 developers without a job.
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