Dont Nod is not going through a good moment. While it is true that half of the industry is facing a similar situation, the French studio has faced two complicated releases between this and the past 2023, and now they are facing certain problems with a saga that they themselves created. With Life is Strange: Double Exposure, from Deck Nine, less than 24 hours away from being released to the market and with some players already tasting its first episodes, the French studio has come to the defense of their colleagues after the significant criticisms from fans of the first games of the saga.
Although it is true that Double Exposure is the direct sequel to the first Life is Strange from 2015, there have been up to three different games in the saga, and a prologue called The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit. A narrative plethora of ten years spread across two studios, the first projects signed by Dont Nod and the latest, including this October sequel, developed by Deck Nine. For this reason, many users have been somewhat displeased with how the story has evolved, its references and mentions, and, above all, the time that has passed since the first installment until Double Exposure.
The previous Life is Strange studio stands with the new one
In this context, Michel Koch, creative director of Dont Nod, has come to the defense of the developers of Deck Nine after receiving hate messages for the handling of the story. Koch, who has not yet played the latest installment of the saga, spoke out on Twitter, pointing out that although every player has the right to express their opinion, there is no justification for offensive comments towards the creators.
In his remarks, Koch emphasized the importance of constructive criticism over harassment, reminding that the development of any story is a difficult and subjective process. “You can be disappointed or prefer other stories, but that doesn’t detract from the creative vision someone imagined,” he stated. For him, violent comments towards developers are not only harmful, but also represent a lack of respect for the effort and creativity involved in creating a story.
When a user suggested that healthy criticism should be accepted, Koch agreed that disagreement is valid, but emphasized that his criticism was directed at the hate messages that have circulated on the internet. Koch also shared his own experience of receiving toxic comments when Dont Nod released Life is Strange 2, which introduced new characters and generated discontent among some fans for not including the original characters, Max and Chloe.
Koch admitted that, based on what he has heard about Double Exposure, he and his team would probably not have made the same narrative decisions. However, he mentioned that he felt the same way when Deck Nine released Before the Storm and the series comics, although he accepted these differences as a natural consequence of having different writers.
The director emphasized that although he may not recognize his characters when playing Double Exposure, this is inevitable in projects where new narrative perspectives come into play. His comments aim to promote reflection on respecting others’ creativity, encouraging the gaming community to express themselves in a respectful and constructive manner.
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