OG Life is Strange developer delays its new Life is Strange-style adventure to dodge the actual new Life is Strange game

The original developer of the Life is Strange series has announced that it's delaying its new Life is Strange-style narrative adventure - because of the return of the OG Life is Strange protagonist.

In an announcement earlier today, Don't Nod said that it had "made the decision to move the release date of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage to early 2025. A narrative-heavy, teen-focused adventure with supernatural elements, Lost Records brings Don't Nod's heritage to the fore, with a notable similarity to several key components of Life is Strange.

While Don't Nod developed both 2015's Life is Strange and its 2018 sequel, it's not the studio behind Before the Storm, True Colors, or Life is Strange: Double Exposure, which is set to launch in October and will feature the return of original Life is Strange protagonist Max Caulfield. That October release date would likely have settled in pretty close to Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, which was due to launch in late 2024.

That's no longer the case, however, as Don't Nod says it's bowing out of the way of Double Exposure. Acknowledging that fans are "excited for both Lost Records and the new Life is Strange game," the studio says that "we wanted to ensure both have adequate space to shine." As such, Lost Records will now release in early 2025.

While it's still comparatively rare for developers to admit that they're moving release dates because of their competitors, it's starting to happen more and more often. Last year, Baldur's Gate 3's decision to dodge Starfield was a particularly high-profile example, but indie games are also starting to move their release dates around to get away from AAA juggernauts - just take this promising soulslike that was initially scheduled to launch on the exact same day as Shadow of the Erdtree. There's still, however, something particularly fun about the OG bowing out of the way of its successor out of respect for its famous franchise.

Lost Records: Bloom and Rage is split into two parts, partly because of Game of Thrones.