New Life Is Strange sequel leaked and it’ll bring back a fan favourite character

Despite the last game being a sales flop for Square Enix, another Life Is Strange is apparently not only in the works but out this year.

When developer Deck Nine took over Life Is Strange from original creator Don’t Nod, it seemed the series was in safe hands, given the critically acclaimedBefore The Storm prequel and Life Is Strange: True Colors.

Unfortunately, after 2024’s Life Is Strange: Double Exposure, it was hard to feel optimistic about the future of both the series and the studio. Not only was the game a messy disappointment, it was also a financial flop for Square Enix.

At that point it wouldn’t have been surprising if Square Enix put the series on ice, and they certainly haven’t announced anything since, but there’s suddenly clear evidence that a new game is coming and will be out surprisingly soon.

Recently, a new listing on the Pan European Game Information (PEGI) website, which provides age ratings for all games released in Europe, was spotted for something called Life Is Strange: Reunion.

It was listed only as a PlayStation 5 release, with a release date of March 27, 2025 – which obviously can’t be accurate.

Even more interesting, is that it includes a story synopsis; one that not only mentions Max Caulfield (the protagonist of the first game and Double Exposure) but her best friend and love interest Chloe Price.

‘Chloe Price was Max Caulfield’s partner in time… Losing her is Max’s greatest regret. Now Chloe has come to Caledon University,’ it reads (Caledon University being the setting of Double Exposure).

‘Haunted by nightmares and impossible memories, Chloe needs Max’s help. But Max is already in crisis: in three days, a deadly inferno will destroy the campus.’

The listing has since been removed (no doubt because it was published early and contains an incorrect release date), but not before VGC managed to grab a screenshot for posterity. The same thing happened with the still unannounced Assassin’s Creed 4 remake, which popped up on the PEGI website last month.

Age rating boards across the word regularly leak video game information before they’re supposed to and what’s useful about that is that not only do they have no reason to lie but a game has to be fairly close to release in order for them to give it a rating.

What seems almost certain to have happened in this case is that the game’s release date is March 27, 2026. But the doofus who was entering the information got the year wrong – a common enough mistake at this time of year.

The more perplexing element of the leak is that Square Enix has never hinted at any such game and it’s very odd to be planning to launch it so soon, without any pre-publicity. Even if the March date is wrong, a release any time this year seems surprising if the game hasn’t even been annouced yet.

If the product description is accurate, and it would be bizarre if somewhere like PEGI just made it up, the concept feels like a direct response to one of the most notable criticisms Double Exposure received: the lack of Chloe. Both the character and her relationship with Max (which can turn romantic depending on player choices) are beloved by fans and one of the highlights of the first game.

Since that story ends with you needing to choose whether to sacrifice Chloe to save the town of Arcadia Bay or vice versa, Double Exposure omits Chloe entirely. Depending on your choice, she’s either dead or alive but no longer in contact with Max.

Bringing Max back without Chloe did not go down well with fans, especially as there’s a comic book sequel all about their relationship in the ‘save Chloe’ timeline.

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Double Exposure’s ending did tease a sequel, complete with a James Bond-esque ‘Max Caulfield will return.’ But considering Double Exposure was less than two years ago, it seems too soon for a sequel to release.

However, last year, there were rumours and speculation that Deck Nine had been contracted by Square Enix to release two Life Is Strange games, with an ex-employee of Deck Nine alleging that the Double Exposure sequel was aiming for a 2026 launch, suggesting both projects were in development simultaneously.

They also added that Deck Nine was ‘laying off every department one at a time after they finish their last work.’ When combined with Double Exposure’s financial failure, none of this bodes well for both the studio and Life Is Strange itself.

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