Life Is Strange Creator Don't Nod Has Rough Start to the Year, Presses Pause on Two Projects

Original Life is Strange developer Don't Nod has announced it had a rough start to the 2024/25 financial year, leading to the decision to press pause on two of its upcoming projects.

In the company’s latest financial report, Don't Nod revealed that its recent releases, Jusant and Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, "did not achieve the commercial results" it had hoped for. As a result, the studio has made some changes to its development roadmap.

One major adjustment is that Don't Nod is "temporarily pausing two projects in the design phase" to "prioritize resources and maximize the chances of success of the titles with the greatest potential at present." The two shelved projects were unnamed, but the studio did confirm this strategy shift will see Lost Records: Bloom & Rage take precedence. The game received a "particularly positive reception" at Gamescom 2024, according to the developer. The first episode of this episodic narrative adventure is slated for release in February 2025.

"We are obviously disappointed by our recent performance in an extremely competitive and selective market," chairman and CEO Oskar Guilbert said in a statement. "Despite an excellent critical reception, Jusant and Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden unfortunately did not meet the commercial expectations we had set, which resulted in a deterioration of our 2024 half-year results. This has led us to evaluate all options regarding our roadmap moving forward."

As of March 2024, Don't Nod had seven games in development. However, with two projects now on hold, the studio's internal restructuring, which created three specialized branches for role-playing games, narrative adventure games, and action adventure games, will shape its future direction.