Life is Strange wins big at Develop Awards, Episode 4 on its way

By Gabe Gurwin July 18, 2015

life is strange develop awards lifeisstrangefriends — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Dontnod Entertainment’s Life is Strange is certainly a flawed game, especially in regard to its dialogue, but there’s no denying that the French studio’s creation has something very few other major releases possess: heart. The game’s sense of empathy, combined with brilliant pacing, are nearly unmatched in the industry. Now, it appears Dontnod is being rewarded for its efforts at the U.K.-based Develop Awards.

The Develop Awards saw “more than 170 companies” attend, and 21 different awards were given out in total. Dontnod took home the “New Games IP- PC/Console” award for Life is Strange, and well as the “Use of Narrative” award. The game was the second-most recognized of the night, behind only last year’s surprise hit Alien: Isolation, which was honored multiple times for audio, as well as the use of a licensed IP.

Related: Remember Me dev announce episodic narrative experiment Life is Strange

But Alien: Isolation is a more traditional AAA game; it released all at once both digitally and through retail. Life is Strange takes an episodic approach, and it won its Develop Awards with two episodes remaining in what could be its first “season.” This release model has certainly garnered critical attention in other media, specifically television, which shows like Breaking Bad and True Detective using the “next time” suspense to keep viewers from losing interest.

That was certainly the case with the end of Episode 3, titled Chaos Theory, but Dontnod has taken an unusually long time to release Episode 4. Previously, new episodes were released less than two months after the last one, but we are now approaching the two-month mark with no release date announced. Fortunately, it appears the wait it almost over, as the game’s official Twitter account revealed that the “final touches” are being put on the latest episode of Max and Chloe’s journey.

The wait's nearly over! We are applying final touches to our most ambitious Ep yet & we'll share more news ASAP. Thanks for your patience.

— Life Is Strange (@LifeIsStrange) July 15, 2015

The first three episodes of Life is Strange are now available digitally on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PC for $5 each.

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Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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