"Life is Strange: Double Exposure" causes financial losses

Square Enix's recent release, "Life is Strange: Double Exposure," has reportedly resulted in significant financial losses for the company. Analyst Hideki Yasuda noted that the game's performance did not meet expectations, contrasting with the success of "Dragon Quest 3." The game peaked at 8,524 players on Steam, which is less than half of the initial player count for the first episode of the original "Life is Strange." Following its release, Deck Nine, the development studio, laid off about 20% of its staff. Yasuda highlighted that Square Enix's intellectual properties vary greatly in quality, leading to inconsistent performance. Company president Takashi Kiryu acknowledged that their previous successful strategies are no longer effective.