No, it’s not Don’t Nod, they’re no longer involved with the franchise – Deck Nine has been in charge of development since Life is Strange: Before the Storm, and they created the final episode, Life is Strange: Double Exposure.

For the gaming industry, 2024 was a pretty terrible year, with many people losing their jobs, whether they were major publishers or indie studios. Unfortunately, Deck Nine has also been affected by this, and it’s not the first time, as they’ve already had a staff reduction this year (a 20% cut in February). Deck Nine CEO Mark Lyons tweeted to let the public know that they’ve had to cut their team again:

“Today we are saddened 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 that many companies in our industry are facing. We are extremely grateful to each and every one of you for your hard work, passion and commitment to creating transformative entertainment with us. For those of you who are leaving the studio due to these changes, thank you for sharing your talents with us. We are proud of what we have accomplished together, and we are committed to supporting you through this transition in any way we can. To the community, we ask for your support and understanding during this difficult time,” Lyons wrote.

No reason was given for the cuts, but it is possible that Life is Strange: Double Exposure was not performing as well as expected. This is usually why people are let go after a game launches (or even just before!). So far this year, more than 14600 employees from more than 175 companies have been laid off. This week, for example, Ubisoft fired about 300 people because of the failure of XDefiant.

And the year is not over yet! The gaming industry will surely work another two weeks before the end of the year break…

Source: WCCFTech