Poor Max Caulfield—the original protagonist of Life Is Strange has hardly ever been able to catch a break. Now, the time-rewinding heroine is about to face her ultimate challenge in Life Is Strange: Reunion, and after a brief hands-on preview, it’s clear that she at least won’t be facing it without her oldest ally.

When we last saw Max in 2024’s Life Is Strange: Double Exposure, she had settled into a new position as an artist-in-residence at Caledon University in Lakeport, Vermont. When tragedy befell her new best friend, Safi, Max discovered a new ability which allowed her to “shift” into an alternate timeline where Safi was still alive, and discover the truth behind her would-be killer. The game ended on some unresolved business, which Reunion will apparently seek to close off, but another layer of paradoxical problems will plague Max along the way.

As yet another mysterious disaster threatens to take away the things Max holds dear, a blast from the past will appear in her new life at Caledon: Chloe Price.

Depending on the choices you made (or consider canon) from previous games, Chloe might be alive but estranged by Max. Or, the events of Life Is Strange: Double Exposure may have shunted an alternate version of Chloe into Max’s reality, with memories of the destruction of Arcadia Bay and their time on the road together… and nightmares of dying on the bathroom floor at Blackwell Academy from the original game. Either way, players will have to control both characters and utilize their particular skills to solve the mystery that’s threatening Caledon.

“Fans will be delighted to see that rewind works much the same in Life Is Strange: Reunion as it always has.”

Life Is Strange: Reunion essentially offers four possible backgrounds, based on two different choices: if Max and Chloe romanced or were just close friends, and if Chloe lived or died. During a hands-on preview with the game ahead of its release next month, I was able to hop into the game with my personal choice from the first game—romanced, and Chloe died—and see how these factors affect the story.

In a segment that feels like the end of the first chapter, I explored the familiar Snapping Turtle bar from Double Exposure, first as Chloe and later as Max. This included interacting with familiar Caledon faces—some welcome (Amanda) and others unwelcome (Lucas)—and using both protagonists’ powers.

Max’s rewind ability from the first game is back in full form, allowing her to rewind conversations while retaining knowledge and items. Fans will be delighted to see that rewind works much the same in Life Is Strange: Reunion as it always has, right down to the familiar spiral gauge that shows your position on the timeline. There were at least two great opportunities to use it to Max’s advantage at the Turtle, and zipping back in time with a pocket full of secret information still feels like a conversational cheat code.

Later in the preview, a life-or-death timed segment put the mechanic and Life Is Strange‘s mystery-solving through its paces. While Double Exposure used the “shift” power to great effect, it is satisfying to get Max through a dire situation with good old-fashioned time tampering.

Chloe’s featured mechanic (calling it a “power” is a bit aggrandizing) for Backtalk came into play later. She may be about ten years older, but even as an adult Chloe still has her rebellious side, and arguing with a security guard is a tantalizing target for her. As before, the key is to use what you’ve noticed in the environment or about the target of your Backtalk beforehand, and bring it to bear.

Admittedly, as the first part of the exchange was shown in the trailer, it was like starting with the answer key in front of me, but nonetheless, I felt a pang of nostalgia for the days of hurling barbs at Chloe’s stepdad, David, in the previous games. This ability is much more restricted than Max’s rewind, which can essentially be used at will, so it will be interesting to see how else it comes up in the full game.

Dialogue and choices are the core of the franchise, but for the first time, Life Is Strange: Reunion will feature two simultaneous protagonists, and naturally, Max and Chloe have a lot to talk about. Instead of keeping players firmly rooted in one of the two, such pivotal conversations between the two leads shift between them, depending on the choices being made. There’s a visible cue showing the focus shifting to either Max or Chloe, and while dialogue options are on screen, the game highlights which character is making the choice.

I was impressed with how this setup allowed me to make decisions on behalf of both characters in a way that felt authentic to their story. Devoted players have shaped their own take on the characters’ relationships over three games’ worth of choices by this point; bringing Chloe back into the picture but denying her any chance at player agency would’ve made the whole exercise moot. Thankfully, judging by the key conversation following their reunion (which was also teased during the reveal livestream), Deck Nine has put a lot of thought into how it would handle having two heroines.

My short hands-on time with Life Is Strange: Reunion flew by, and even with a small cross-section of the full experience, my mind was left buzzing, pondering the possibilities. It remains to be seen if other choices made during Double Exposure, like having Max romance or flirt with Amanda or Vinh, will be eligible to carry forward, but the implications of each of the four main situations between Max and Chloe alone have me itching to see the same conversations from another side.

Based on this slice of Max’s tumultuous life, it seems like Life Is Strange: Reunion is poised to make good on all the things Double Exposure set up and left on the table, while also doing right by the events of the first games. It’s been hard to bite my tongue and not give anything away through the course of this article, either regarding the new mystery or the implications from previous games.

One particular allusion, regarding David, gave me hope that this game could truly bridge the eras… but we’ll have to wait just a bit longer to dive into the game and see what other ancient history gets dug up along the way, as Max and Chloe’s fight to secure their future’s saga comes to an end.

Life Is Strange: Reunion launches March 26 on PlayStation 5, Steam, and Xbox Series X|S.

In fitting fashion for the franchise, Square Enix has released a cryptic teaser for the future of the NieR franchise, coinciding with its 10th anniversary.

A lengthy new video was released by Square Enix, looking at pretty much everything that’s ever happened for NieR in a sequential timeline. The video flicks through clips of the game releases, oddly named DLC, the piano and orchestral concert, stage play, and even a helping of the dozens of collaborations that 2B has appeared in. At the very tail-end of the video, there’s a single line of text, saying “NieR: Automata to be continued.”

Of course, we have no idea what that really means, or even what kind of a format this continuation could take. Considering it’s NeiR, we can’t just assume a sequel game is in the works. It could be any number of things, considering the series has dabbled in novels, manga, anime, stage plays, and audio dramas.

But it’s hard to imagine Square Enix wouldn’t want another big NieR game, considering the numbers it announced alongside this video. NieR: Automata has officially reached 10 million sales. This makes it one of Square Enix’s most successful games to date, as only a few titles like Final Fantasy and Tomb Raider have exceeded that threshold. Fun fact: not a single Dragon Quest or Kingdom Hearts game has sold more than 10 million copies. NieR Replicant has also sold 2 million copies.

NieR creator Yoko Taro has been quiet of late, as we haven’t seen a new game project from him in years. Although on a panel at Korean video game convention G-Con 2025 last November, as reported by Automaton, he did say he’s been working on a lot, thing were just getting cancelled.

“I often get told stuff like ‘Why aren’t you making a new sequel to NieR’ or ‘Yoko Taro isn’t doing anything,’ but that’s because recently, a lot of projects I was involved in got discontinued midway through development. I’ve actually been working on some stuff, it’s just that it never ended up seeing the light of day,” Taro said, ” I got paid for it, so I personally have no issues with that, but people seem to think that I haven’t been doing anything just because none of the work I’ve done is being released.”

NieR: Automata is available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

For many years now, we (or one of our writers, if we’re being honest) have noted that Final Fantasy XI has been mostly treating its annual holidays by turning on familiar events and letting players enjoy them. This is true, as the game is mature and has plenty of events as it is. But the Doll […]

Once every year, Final Fantasy XIV celebrates Little Ladies’ Day, which in practical terms absolutely means people getting glowsticks to cheer for idols putting on a concert. Yes, it is a bit of a walk to get from “a holiday for young women” to that endpoint, but it happened. The latest outing is planned for Thursday, […]

This week’s Massively Overthinking is inspired by a tweet I saw from SMITE, of all games, where the Hi-Rez devs asked players to propose one god to delete from the game. Obviously, this is not a serious proposition, but in the aggregate, the answers can kinda show a trend in what people are tired of, […]

Total worldwide shipments and digital sales for NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139 have exceeded two million units, …

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Total worldwide shipments and digital sales for NieR: Automata have exceeded 10 million units, Square …

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Platinum Games has produced some truly great action games in its time, and Nier Automata is right up there near the top of the pile. It's hard to believe it's celebrating its ninth birthday - I think another wrinkle just formed on my face... However, as part of the festivities, publisher Square Enix has revealed two exciting things. Firstly, that the game has surpassed ten million copies sold. Secondly, and most importantly, that Nier Automata will "be continued" in some shape or form.

Read the full story on PCGamesN: As Nier Automata hits a massive sales milestone, Square Enix drops its most promising sequel hint yet

Square Enix has said in a new video which celebrates the fact that the throughly enjoyable NieR: Automata has shifted over 10 million units is set “to be continued.” Whether this means we will get a brand new Nier console game remains to be seen as they could just be alluding to more crossovers with… Read More »Square Enix says “NieR: Automata to be continued” after shifting 10 million copies

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It's been nearly nine years since the launch of NieR: Automata, the highly acclaimed action RPG developed by PlatinumGames and published by Square Enix. Fans have long been waiting for news of a sequel. Today, as part of a celebration for the game's latest sales milestone (it has now sold 10 million units across all platforms), they at least got a teaser. It sounds like the gears are finally moving. But why did it take so long? Well, it seems like Game Director Yoko Taro and Square Enix found it hard to reach an agreement. The outspoken creative first said […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/nier-automata-continue-game-breaks-10m-units-sold/

Square Enix has announced that digital sales and shipments for NieR: Automata have surpassed 10 million units globally.

In addition to that, a celebratory video contains a teaser stating “Nier Automata to be continued,” so hopefully that means we’ll hear more about the franchise soon enough.

Nier: Automata was developed by PlatinumGames and released for PS4 and PC 2017, and was later ported to Xbox One and Nintendo Switch in June 2018 and October 2022, respectively. The game takes place during a proxy war between alien-manufactured machines and human-crafted androids, which focuses on the exploits of 2B, a combat android, and scanner android 9S and rogue prototype A2. Nier: Automata marries RPG elements with hack-and-slash combat, and requires players to play through the main game multiple times in order to unlock new narrative threads.

You can read our full NieR: Automata review here.

[Source – Nier Automata]

The post NieR: Automata Shipments & Digital Sales Hit 10 Million As Video Teases ‘NieR: Automata To Be Continued’ appeared first on PlayStation Universe.

Despite the last game being a sales flop for Square Enix, another Life Is Strange is apparently not only in the works but out this year.

When developer Deck Nine took over Life Is Strange from original creator Don’t Nod, it seemed the series was in safe hands, given the critically acclaimedBefore The Storm prequel and Life Is Strange: True Colors.

Unfortunately, after 2024’s Life Is Strange: Double Exposure, it was hard to feel optimistic about the future of both the series and the studio. Not only was the game a messy disappointment, it was also a financial flop for Square Enix.

At that point it wouldn’t have been surprising if Square Enix put the series on ice, and they certainly haven’t announced anything since, but there’s suddenly clear evidence that a new game is coming and will be out surprisingly soon.

Recently, a new listing on the Pan European Game Information (PEGI) website, which provides age ratings for all games released in Europe, was spotted for something called Life Is Strange: Reunion.

It was listed only as a PlayStation 5 release, with a release date of March 27, 2025 – which obviously can’t be accurate.

Even more interesting, is that it includes a story synopsis; one that not only mentions Max Caulfield (the protagonist of the first game and Double Exposure) but her best friend and love interest Chloe Price.

‘Chloe Price was Max Caulfield’s partner in time… Losing her is Max’s greatest regret. Now Chloe has come to Caledon University,’ it reads (Caledon University being the setting of Double Exposure).

‘Haunted by nightmares and impossible memories, Chloe needs Max’s help. But Max is already in crisis: in three days, a deadly inferno will destroy the campus.’

The listing has since been removed (no doubt because it was published early and contains an incorrect release date), but not before VGC managed to grab a screenshot for posterity. The same thing happened with the still unannounced Assassin’s Creed 4 remake, which popped up on the PEGI website last month.

Age rating boards across the word regularly leak video game information before they’re supposed to and what’s useful about that is that not only do they have no reason to lie but a game has to be fairly close to release in order for them to give it a rating.

What seems almost certain to have happened in this case is that the game’s release date is March 27, 2026. But the doofus who was entering the information got the year wrong – a common enough mistake at this time of year.

The more perplexing element of the leak is that Square Enix has never hinted at any such game and it’s very odd to be planning to launch it so soon, without any pre-publicity. Even if the March date is wrong, a release any time this year seems surprising if the game hasn’t even been annouced yet.

If the product description is accurate, and it would be bizarre if somewhere like PEGI just made it up, the concept feels like a direct response to one of the most notable criticisms Double Exposure received: the lack of Chloe. Both the character and her relationship with Max (which can turn romantic depending on player choices) are beloved by fans and one of the highlights of the first game.

Since that story ends with you needing to choose whether to sacrifice Chloe to save the town of Arcadia Bay or vice versa, Double Exposure omits Chloe entirely. Depending on your choice, she’s either dead or alive but no longer in contact with Max.

Bringing Max back without Chloe did not go down well with fans, especially as there’s a comic book sequel all about their relationship in the ‘save Chloe’ timeline.

Double Exposure’s ending did tease a sequel, complete with a James Bond-esque ‘Max Caulfield will return.’ But considering Double Exposure was less than two years ago, it seems too soon for a sequel to release.

However, last year, there were rumours and speculation that Deck Nine had been contracted by Square Enix to release two Life Is Strange games, with an ex-employee of Deck Nine alleging that the Double Exposure sequel was aiming for a 2026 launch, suggesting both projects were in development simultaneously.

They also added that Deck Nine was ‘laying off every department one at a time after they finish their last work.’ When combined with Double Exposure’s financial failure, none of this bodes well for both the studio and Life Is Strange itself.

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Dissatisfaction with Square Enix’s work does not prevent the 3D Investment Partners fund from continuing to purchase shares of the Japanese company. Recently, they increased their stake from 14.36% to 16.48%.

More details: https://gameworldobserver.com/2025/12/25/an-investor-who-criticized-the-management-of-square-enix-has-increased-their-stake-in-the-company

Final Fantasy 14 players who have not played the critically acclaimed MMORPG in some time now have a window to do so, as Square Enix launched a free login campaign for players to enjoy. The Final Fantasy 14 free login campaign is a limited-time offer that gives inactive players a few days of game time, allowing them to experience the game's latest content.

Square Enix has recently announced that the engrossing Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of An Elusive Age has now shipped over nine million units worldwide. The news came in a press release which coincided with the demo launch for Dragon Quest VII Reimagined. We are still waiting for the eagerly-anticipated Dragon Quest 12, which we should… Read More »Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of An Elusive Age has shipped over 9 million units

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Final Fantasy VII Remake Director Naoki Hamaguchi has stated in a new interview that newcomers to Square Enix tell him that Final Fantasy XIII is their favourite Final Fantasy game and this is causing him to feel slightly old. Final Fantasy XIII launched back in 2009 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and was a… Read More »Final Fantasy VII Remake director says younger employees state that Final Fantasy 13 is their favourite

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The Final Fantasy 14 team at Square Enix has just done the smartest thing possible right now by capitalizing on the hugely positive response to patch 7.4 with the return of the FF14 free login campaign. The special event allows lapsed players to come back and check out the latest additions, from the new story content to the final act of Dawntrail's Arcadion raid series, along with all of the quality-of-life tools that have just been rolled out. With player sentiment at its highest since Endwalker wrapped up, it's a good time to find out why.

Read the full story on PCGamesN: The FF14 free login campaign is back, right as Square Enix finds the spark it was missing

The FF14 race to world first has come to its conclusion, and this time there's nothing close about it, although continued DDOS frustrations certainly managed to put a dampener on the event. Rounding out a trilogy of wins across the entire Dawntrail raid series, Japanese team Lucrezia managed to take home the victory once again, and did so with well over an hour gap ahead of second place, making it tough to argue with the result despite repeated disruptions for several North American teams.

Read the full story on PCGamesN: The FF14 race to world first is over as Dawntrail's final savage raid falls, and despite DDOS drama the winner is clear

Amid all the waiting for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 – which has two final names and internal announcement date – it is funny to stop and think how the development team handled a project of this magnitude. After all, it doesn’t just factor in the original Final Fantasy 7 story, but also those of its spin-offs, thus creating a “fresh feel,” according to director Naoki Hamaguchi.

Speaking to GamerBraves in a new interview, he said. “Even from members such as creative director (Tetsuya) Nomura and producer (Yoshinori) Kitase, they didn’t just want to make a remake. They wanted to make a story that could include the compilation of the spin-offs and the soul that they have birthed across the years into this new project, and bring a fresh feel to Final Fantasy 7.”

Obviously, it’s not a simple matter of simply shoving in their stories – context matters, especially when it comes to characters who didn’t exist in the original. After all, where would that leave fans who never played the spin-offs (and given the quality of offerings like Dirge of Cerberus, you can’t really blame them)?

Hamaguchi said, “As a compilation of all these new stories that came post the original Final Fantasy 7, one of the things we sort of grappled with is how much do we show, how much do we include [for] players who wouldn’t know these new characters from the spin-offs.

“When discussing the limits of what we could express within a single game, we had to take timelines into account. At the same time, with many Final Fantasy spin-offs and additions including popular characters not in the original, we considered how much we could include to give players of the remake a fresh sense of life and excitement.”

Of course, other elements bring a degree of freshness to Final Fantasy 7 Remake, which have garnered mixed reactions (if you know, you know). But one thing is for sure: It’s been one hell of a ride, and fans are eager to see where it goes next.

So, when does Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3, or whatever it ends up called, actually release? Your guess is as good as ours, but last October, Hamaguchi said the project was in a “really good state,” and that’s turning into something “really satisfying.” Last month, he commented that the “core game experience” is complete, and how it’s “finally starting to match the vision.” That includes “a new experience and a new scale,” with the Highwind airship forming a “key” part of the same.