Life is Strange: True Colors legally isn’t able to show subtitles during copyrighted songs

(Image credit: Square Enix)

Life is Strange: True Colors developer Deck Nine is unable to add subtitles to the singing portions of the game due to licensing restrictions.

According to a tweet from journalist Laura Kate Dale, who reached out regarding the issue, Life is Strange: True Colors is unable to show the lyrics to the two songs Alex performs in the game "due to licensing restrictions surrounding copyrighted lyrics."

I got a statement RE: lyric subs in True Colors."Due to licensing restrictions surrounding copyrighted lyrics, subtitles are unfortunately not available during the two sequences where Alex sings... We apologize for the lack of subtitle accessibility during these two sequences." pic.twitter.com/CSpkkD5HsrSeptember 10, 2021

In a statement provided to Dale, "due to licensing restrictions surrounding copyrighted lyrics, subtitles are unfortunately not available during the two sequences where Alex sings." It’s unclear whether Dale reached out to Life is Strange: True Colors' developer Deck Nine or its publisher Square Enix, however, the team responsible for the statement also added that: "We apologize for the lack of subtitle accessibility during these two sequences."

Without spoiling too much of the game for those who have yet to play it yet, during Life is Strange: True Colors Alex - or should we say the character's singing voice actress musician mxmtoon - performs two cover songs, Creep by Radiohead and Blister in the Sun originally by Violent Femmes. However, those who choose to play the game with subtitles turned on will notice that the accessibility feature is absent during these two performances.

Lower down in the Twitter thread, Dale states that "including [the songs] in subtitles is an accessibility standard other publishers aim for." The spokesperson dealing with the issue added that "we will look into ways to improve this for future games across the portfolio." Unfortunately, it appears that this may not be a simple fix which is disappointing considering how much of this game, as well as the other games in the Life is Strange series, revolves around music.

Life is Strange: True Colors is out now and available to play on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and will eventually also be playable on Nintendo Switch.

Already got your fill of the story-driven adventure series? Take a look at our games like Life is Strange list.

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training. My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.