The next Life is Strange game will launch this year and be fully revealed next week, publisher Square Enix has confirmed.
An official announcement of the project, widely expected to be titled Life is Strange: Reunion and feature the return of fan-favorite character Chloe, will take place next Tuesday, January 20 at 10am Pacific, 1pm Eastern, or 6pm UK time.
A YouTube stream link is already available for the announcement, which is accompanied by the description: "Separate the real from the rumor… Join us for the exclusive reveal of the next Life is Strange game."
On Facebook, a brief teaser video shows what looks two characters walking by, their faces largely obscured. The second figure then turns their back fully to the camera, showing what looks to be a crow embroidered onto the back.
Certainly, fans suspect these are the Life is Strange franchise's original duo Max Caulfield and Chloe Price. Caulfield returned after a long hiatus as the protagonist of the franchise's previous game, Life is Strange: Double Exposure, which received a mixed reception from fans for its treatment of the pair's relationship.
Max's return in a subsequent sequel was promised at the end of Double Exposure, so it would be no surprise to see her back again here. Exactly how this new game handles Chloe (and explains her presence, depending on players' past choices) remains to be seen, however.
Following last week's early spilling of the game's likely title and plot via the European ratings board, and a string of disgruntled leaks from developers pointing to a troubled development for the franchise behind the scenes, Square Enix's suggestion that fans should tune in to "separate the real from the rumor" feels like an acknowledgement of the series' current situation — but also, hopefully, that it has something promising for fans to move the franchise forward.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
