There are few games that have genuinely made me cry. Some of them are ‘To The Moon’, ‘Before Your Eyes’, ‘This War of Mine’, or, of course, ‘Life is Strange’, an episodic game whose climactic ending no one would have guessed when starting. Whichever one you chose. Now, eight years after its release and after two sequels, a prequel, and a spin-off, the first game has set an impressive record.
Return to Arcadia Bay
Since the release of its first chapter in 2014 (because yes, the episodes were released every month and a half), ‘Life is Strange’ has consistently exceeded all the expectations set for it. In fact, originally, it was a project flying so low that only 15 people were working on it, though the number increased when Square Enix stepped in to produce it. By July 2015, they had already sold a million copies, but its impact was far from fading.
According to the official Twitter account, over 20 million people have played ‘Life is Strange’ since its release. While there’s no specific source cited, it’s a credible figure: the game has continued to be popular over the years (especially with the remaster and various compilations), becoming something every game developer aims for today—a timeless game that can be enjoyed even when it’s not “trendy.”
It’s true that the sequels of the game, which have already left the hands of Don’t Nod to go to Deck Nine Games, haven’t caused much stir, but they have continued to perform well in sales. For instance, ‘True Colors’ had the best debut in terms of money earned for the entire franchise in 2021, and these 20 million unique users that have just been announced could renew interest in it. Do we have ‘Life is Strange’ for a while longer? Well, all that’s left is to cross our fingers.
