Life is Strange cocreator says that 'nothing' justifies the vitriol directed at the current developers of the series, while admitting that 'we wouldn't have written things in the same way.'

Michel Koch, co-creator of Life is Strange and creative director at Don't Nod, has taken to X "The Everything App" in order to appeal to Life is Strange fans who are upset with Deck Nine, the current developer for the series. Deck Nine has been creating new Life is Strange titles for a while, but the recently released Double Exposure is first to revisit characters from the original 2015 game, causing some controversy.

Koch wrote: "Since [Life is Strange: Double Exposure] was released, I've seen many tensions and hateful messages directed at Deck Nine developers." "I haven't played the game yet and I don't know where the story is going. What I know is that there's no reason to hate people for the way they wrote their game!

The backlash Koch is referring to in the Life is Strange subreddit seems to be mainly a result of how Double Exposure continues Life is Strange, especially the relationship between the two main characters. The 2015 original followed Max Caulfield and Chloe Price, as they investigated a series of murders linked to a supernatural thunderstorm. Their friendship and potential romance was a key part of the story. The game ends either with Chloe's untimely demise, or with her and Max forming a relationship. The Life is Strange games that have been released since tell unrelated stories and feature new characters, with the exception of the prequel Before the Storm.

Max returns in Double Exposure as the protagonist, while Chloe doesn't. Players can choose the "canon" ending for their playthrough. Max and Chloe are implied to have split up offscreen between both games if Chloe survives the events of Life is Strange 1, but if Chloe does not, then Max and Chloe have a strained relationship. Although it's realistic that a teenage romance won't last forever, there is a bit of a sour tone to such a perfunctory end for a high-profile queer love story. It would have been better if Double Exposure had removed the element of choice, and only continued with the ending where Chloe died.

Koch is not afraid to criticize the work. He only focuses on the intensity and aggression of the fans: "You may be disappointed or you may want different stories for the characters you love," he wrote in a tweet. "Creation is subjective and hard work, so if Double Exposure’s story doesn't please you, then it does not erase your imagination."

Koch responded to a commenter by writing, "From what I've read, I don't think we would have written things in the same way." "But I felt the exact same way with the comics, and Before the Storm, and I kinda accepted it." I'm sure that when I play the complete game, I won't recognise my characters. But that's also inevitable because of different writers."

Even with the backlash that Double Exposure Koch has experienced, Steam reviews still show a positive trend: 81% of 765 players rated it "Very Positive" at the time this article was written.