Deck Nine Games, the developer best known for several games in the Life is Strange series, including Life is Strange: True Colors and the recently released Life is Strange: Double Exposure, has announced layoffs as the year comes to a close. This is the second round of layoffs the studio has undergone this year, having previously let 20% of the studio go in February.
The studio released an official statement today via twitter, announcing the news that people would be layed off, without any concrete numbers as to how many will be let go. This release, penned by Cheif officier Mark Lyons stated:
Today, we are sad to share the news that we must say goodbye to some of our talented team members.
This was an extremely difficult decision and reflects the challenging times many companies in our industry are currently facing. We are extremely grateful to every individual who has dedicated their hard work, passion and commitment to making transformative entertainment with us
This year has been particulary bad for developers in terms of lay-offs, seeing over an estimated 14,000 people lose their jobs. This number is up from the previous year as 2023 saw over 10,000 jobs lost, seeing a change in the landscape of development. There are no major numbers on Life is Strange: Double Exposures sales as of yet, though many estimates suggest it has turned a profit even if not exceeded expectations. That being said, since the franchise is published by Square Enix, even when we do get numbers they could still be presented as lackluster given the companies high standard for success.
Deck Nine Games was created in 2017 as an extention of Idol Minds, LLC with a focus on narrative driven titles. Under this they would brought in to expand on the original Life is Strange game with the prequel Before The Storm, focusing on supporting character Chloe Price. With series creator Don’t nod moving further away from the series with titles like Jusant and Banishers, both I cannot recommend enough, Deck Nine has become the primary handelers of the series. They also worked with Telltale on The Expanse, based on the Amazon Prime series of the same name.
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