Square Enix Reportedly Didn't Want Life Is Strange To Be "The Gay Game"

Summary

• Square Enix didn't want Life is Strange to be known as "the gay game", despite how important representation is to the series.
• Anonymous developers allege that Square Enix was too hands-on with the script and didn't seem interested in pushing accurate representation.
• Internal struggles at Deck Nine included abusive leaders being protected, crunch being encouraged, and a lack of interest in diversity.

A report about the internal struggles at Life is Strange: True Colors' developer Deck Nine has revealed that Square Enix didn't want the series to be viewed as "the gay game".

Although I'm sure that a lot of gamers just like Life is Strange for its focus on choice-based decisions that can impact the story and the Chronicle-esque premise of teenagers getting mysterious powers, for a lot of us the biggest draw is how it authentically portrays young adults and their struggles with friendships, family, and love.

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Although Max, Sean, and Alex all have the option to have romantic partners of the opposite sex, one of the biggest strengths of Life is Strange is how effortlessly it portrays same-sex relationships, with one of the most notable examples being Max and Chloe. Despite the LGBTQ representation being something that's widely been celebrated about the Life is Strange games, it seems that Square Enix didn't want that to be the series' focus.

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In a new report published by IGN that delves into the struggles that Deck Nine, the development team behind Life is Strange: True Colors, went through internally during the game's development, a number of big issues are raised, such as the C-suite behind the team protecting abusive leaders, crunch being encouraged, and individual developers advocating for more representation being bullied.

One of the most surprising things mentioned in the report is that Square Enix was too "hands-on" with the game's script. According to the report's sources, Square Enix was reluctant to include the diverse themes and ideas that Life is Strange built itself on, with multiple developers recalling that, during the development of True Colors, Square Enix said it didn't want Life is Strange to be thought of as "the gay game".

The report also claims that developers at Deck Nine found Nazi symbolism within True Colors during its development, something that management "remained silent" about, something the report alleges isn't uncommon for Square Enix.

According to Mallory Littleton, a narrative designer who worked at Deck Nine on several Life is Strange games, the developers weren't able to say anything about Alex's (the protagonist of True Colors) sexuality in their press guides, which was only changed following the positive reception to the character and her representation once the game had released.

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