Life is Strange was bought by 3 million people
French developer Dontnod Entertainment confirms that a second series is in development
Dontnod Entertainment's Life Is Strange has been purchased by 3 million unique players since it first launched in January 2015.
That date marked the release of the first episode, with another four following over the next nine months. Dontnod said only that Life is Strange attracted 3 million paying players across console and PC, but each of those players had the option to buy the entire season or individual episodes. Unit sales, therefore, could be significantly higher than 3 million.
It's also worth noting that Square Enix, the series' publisher, made the first episode available for free on all platforms in July 2016, so the number of people who have tried the game is also likely to be much higher than 3 million.
In a blog post, Dontnod described the 3 million figure as "an incredible achievement," and it also took the opportunity to confirm that a second series is in development. In an accompanying video, the team's producer and creative leads said it had been working on the new Life is Strange since the boxed version of the first series was released - in January 2016.
Life is Strange was something of a turning point for Dontnod, following the commercial disappointment of its previous game, Remember Me. When we spoke to CEO Oskar Guilbert last year, he admitted that the studio was in "a difficult position" until Square Enix took a chance on its unusual pitch for a heartfelt, episodic series about two teenage girls. It paid off, of course, and in more than just financial terms.
"Even people from [Rockstar] are talking to us, saying, 'Guys, you did a great job. You moved forward the history of video games'," Guilbert recalled. "We received this kind of feedback from many, many different people doing many different types of games... Maybe it was the right time for this kind of project. People wanted it in the industry, but also the public, the players."
