The lead character in Dontnod Entertainment’s upcoming game Life is Strange gave some publishers reason to deny partnership. According to a new developer video diary that came out on YouTube Jan. 9, the controversy was only because the lead, Max, is a girl.
The creative director of Life is Strange speaks in the diary about how many of the publishers they went to first didn’t want a female lead character, and mentions that one even asked specifically for the lead to be changed to male.
But Square Enix has agreed to publish the game without question, without a request to change a thing.
Unfortunately, Dontnod has experienced this reaction from publishers before. Their first release, Remember Me, was also denied by many publishers before being released in June 2013.
It’s surprising that this is still happening in the industry, especially since recent studies and statistics show that women are gaming just as much as men today. The Entertainment Software Association released (what has now been a much-quoted) statistic last year that 52 per cent of gamers are male, 48 per cent female.
The first of five episodes of Life is Strange is set to be released Jan. 30.
