The studio announced the same in an update on Twitter, saying, “Like many others in the games industry right now, Deck Nine has been affected by the game industry’s worsening market conditions. Today we made the difficult decision to lay off 20% of our staff. These people are amazing, talented, and awesome developers. They have made a huge impact during their time at Deck Nine Games and we did not take this decision lightly.”

Interestingly, Stephan Frost, game director at Deck Nine Games, revealed on Twitter that the studio’s leadership also took pay cuts to minimize layoffs as much as possible. “Leadership took pay cuts to keep the number down as much as possible,” he wrote. “This is the strongest team Deck Nine has ever been and it absolutely sucks that the industry is in the state that it is presently.”

Deck Nine is best known for its 2021 title Life is Strange: True Colors, prior to which it also developed 2017’s Life is Strange: Before the Storm. Last year, the studio released The Expanse: A Telltale Series, which it co-developed with Telltale Games (which also suffered layoffs last year).

This is the second time Deck Nine has been hit with layoffs in less than a year, with an undisclosed number of employees also having been laid off in May of last year.

Two months in, 2024 has already been a brutal year for the games industry, with widespread layoffs having resulted in thousands of job cuts, already eclipsing 2023’s already-devastating numbers.

Most recently, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that it was laying off about 900 people, with studios like Naughty Dog, Insomniac Games, Guerrilla, and Firesprite set to be impacted. Meanwhile, SIE London Studio is being closed down entirely, while a number of first-party PlayStation titles have also been cancelled, including (according to reports) the rumoured Twisted Metal reboot. Guerrilla’s multiplayer Horizon game seems to have survived the culling though.

pic.twitter.com/rEVSYzwLQp

— Deck Nine Games (@DeckNineGames) February 27, 2024

Deck Nine had a layoff today. Leadership took paycuts to keep the number down as much as possible. This is the strongest team D9 has ever been and it absolutely sucks that the industry is in the state that it is presently.

— Frost (@StephanFrost) February 27, 2024

Original story follows:

Sony has announced the titles joining the Game Catalog for PlayStation Extra and Premium this month. Starting January 17th, subscribers will have access to Back 4 Blood on PS4 and PS5, Dragon Ball FighterZ on PS4, and Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition on PS5 (along with Devil May Cry 5 on PS4).

But that’s not all. Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm on PS4 is coming along with Sayonara Wild Hearts. Jett: The Far Shore, which receives a free campaign in “Given Time” this year, will be playable on PS4 and PS5. Those seeking open-world chaos can check out Just Cause 4 on PS4 and Just Cause 4: Reloaded on PS4 and PS5.

Emotional adventure game Omno and FMV thriller Erica round out the remaining PS4 titles. As for PlayStation Plus Premium Classics, there’s the addition of Syphon Filter 3, Star Wars Demolition and Hot Shots Golf 2 on PlayStation One. For this month’s free PlayStation Plus Essential titles, head here.

Life is Strange: Remastered Collection includes Life is Strange Remastered and Life is Strange: Before the Storm Remastered. Each game has touched-up visuals along with engine and lighting upgrades. Though full facial motion-capture is a selling point, it’s worth noting that this applies only to the first game and not Before the Storm Remastered.

For more details on the technical improvements and changes, head here. Life is Strange: Remastered Collection is still in the works for Nintendo Switch, which should be out later this year after facing a delay. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime. Deck Nine also released Life is Strange: True Colors, a brand new title set in the same universe, last year. You can read our official review for it here.

Both remasters will be rendered in native 4K with updated 4K-ready character models, all of whom have increased polycounts, improved hair physics, a new lighting system, and more expressive animations for characters (which also includes motion capture for facial animations and improved lip sync).

Meanwhile, Square Enix has also released a bunch of screenshots comparing how multiple characters look in the original releases and remasters of both Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm, showcasing several improvements. You can check them out below.

Life is Strange: Remastered Collection launches on February 1 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia. A Nintendo Switch version will launch later this year.

Life is Strange: Before the Storm Remastered is included with Life is Strange: Remastered Collection along with the first game’s remaster. Among the improvements are updates to the engine and lighting along with more refined puzzles. Unfortunately, the new full facial motion capture only applies to Life is Strange Remastered and not the prequel.

Life is Strange: Remastered Collection releases on February 1st. It will be available for PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Google Stadia (with the Nintendo Switch version out later this year). Pre-ordering the collection nets the Zombie Crypt Outfit for Chloe to use in Life is Strange: Before the Storm Remastered.

The collection features Life is Strange Remastered and Life is Strange: Before the Storm Remastered in one package. Along with remastered graphics for its characters and environments, it also improves character animations and implements full facial motion-capture. The engine and lighting has also seen some upgrades (though we’re yet to see the “updated and refined” puzzles).

Life is Strange: Remastered Collection is out on February 1st for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC and Google Stadia. The Nintendo Switch version has been delayed and will now release later this year. Stay tuned for more details in the coming week.

Square Enix recently took to Twitter to share an update about the collection and when it will launch. Though it has already been delayed once, it looks like that won’t happen again (on all platforms, at least). The publisher has reiterated the February launch date for the game on all platforms, except the Switch version, which needs “a little bit more time” before it’s ready. It’s now scheduled to release “later this year”.

Incidentally, Life is Strange: True Colors was also initially supposed to see a simultaneous release on the Switch, before then getting delayed and releasing about three months after the other versions. It remains to be seen what the timeline for the collection will be though.

Meanwhile, Square Enix is also going to share “a wealth of preview goodies” for the remastered collection in the lead-up to its launch, starting with “an extended look” next week, on January 25.

Life is Strange: Remastered Collection is due out on February 1 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia.

An update from the Life is Strange team pic.twitter.com/gLx8uK0e4v

— Life is Strange (@LifeIsStrange) January 20, 2022

Square Enix has announced that Life is Strange: Remastered Collection will now launch on February 1. For those who don’t know, the collection includes the original Life is Strange and its prequel, Life is Strange: Before the Storm. Both games have updated visuals and character models, with the engine and lighting also having seen improvements, and with animations in particular seeing major upgrades thanks to full facial and motion capture being implemented.

Life is Strange: Remastered Collection will launch for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Stadia. Before that, Life is Strange: True Colors is also getting a DLC later this month, followed by a Switch version later in the year.

Parliament Of Serbia in Belgrade – Half-Life 2

City 17’s European-inspired architecture and aesthetics are fairly easy to recognize, though the Overwatch Nexus is perhaps the closest to being based on an actual building. As the main building for the Overwatch forces, the Nexus was formerly a political building before the Combine invaded. It turns out that it’s actually inspired by the Parliament of Serbia in Belgrade. The similarities between the two buildings, from their general structure to the opening archway are noteworthy, though the signature dome isn’t as defined on the Nexus. Though it’s not outright confirmed in-game, browsing through the texture files reveals the word “parliament” which further hints at the inspiration.

With Life is Strange 2 now having been out for over a year (longer, if you consider when the season’s first episode released), fans of the series have been wondering what the future holds. Dontnod Entertainment kicked the series off and then continued it with its numbered sequel, but it seems Life is Strange won’t be in their hands going forward.

Taking to Twitter, insider Emily Rogers stated that all future Life is Strange projects will be handled by Deck Nine, the studio that developed Life is Strange: Before the Storm, the prequel to the first game. According to Rogers, Square Enix and Dontnod Entertainment “parted ways a long, long time ago.”

Given the fact that Dontnod Entertainment have their eyes set on self-publishing and growing as a developer, it isn’t that surprising to hear that they don’t have plans to continue working with Square Enix. Besides, series fans can rest easy with Deck Nine’s stewardship, since Before the Storm was a legitimately great game in its own right.

Recent rumours have suggested that Life is Strange 3 could be announced soon. Read more on that through here.

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