Life is Strange has come a long way since it first came out in 2015. With multiple successful entries in the franchise, Life is Strange has established a dedicated community of fans that actively discuss the many characters of this heart-warming universe, as well as its future.
Thankfully, Life is Strange fans have a lot to look forward to this year. The next main entry in the franchise, Life is Strange: True Colors, is all set to release this year, alongside a remastered version of the first Life is Strange and its prequel Life is Strange: Before the Storm. Interestingly, the way these upcoming titles are being marketed, alongside plenty of other rumors and leaks, suggests that Life is Strange 4 could feature the protagonists of previous Life is Strange games.
Max and Chloe Could Return in Life is Strange 4
The beloved protagonists of Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm, Max and Chloe, are long rumored to return for a future entry. The speculation for the same began when ResetEra user bing posted tidbits about Life is Strange: True Colors, and an alleged Life is Strange 4 that is currently in pre-production. According to bing, Life is Strange 4, if it exists, involves Max and Chloe in some ways.
Conversations quickly sparked over various social media platforms whether Max and Chloe deserve a proper sequel since by doing so, the developers would be canonizing one of the two endings of the first Life is Strange game. Moreover, fans have also shown frustrations about the developers seemingly ditching Sean and Daniel from Life is Strange 2 for Max and Chloe, claiming that the former is more worthy of a sequel than the latter, which also has an ongoing comic series pushing their stories forward.
While all the rumors and speculations should be taken with a grain of salt, there are subtle references that suggest that Max and Chloe could indeed return in Life is Strange 4. For starters, the Life is Strange: Remastered Collection is a good indication that Square Enix wants newcomers to familiarize themselves with the franchise while allowing long-term fans to relive the nostalgia through a modernized version of these games. Unfortunately, Life is Strange 2 isn't part of the collection, and there's a pretty good explanation for that.
Life is Strange: Remastered Collection is in development at Deck Nine studio, the developers of Life is Strange: Before the Storm, and the upcoming Life is Strange: True Colors. Deck Nine wasn't involved with the development of Life is Strange 2, and so it makes more sense that it wouldn't want to tinker with that game and its possible sequel out of respect. Given how Dontnod Entertainment, the creators of Life is Strange and Life is Strange 2, has seemingly distanced itself from the franchise, Deck Nine could be in charge of the franchise's future. In such a scenario, a Max and Chloe return makes all the more sense compared to Sean and Daniel.
Life is Strange: True Colors is the Bridge for a Crossover
If Max and Chloe could return, it makes all the more sense that other protagonists with supernatural abilities could also return. The protagonist in the upcoming Life is Strange: True Colors, Alex Chen, seems more than likely a candidate. Square Enix and Deck Nine aren't holding back from marketing Alex as a crucial part of the Life is Strange Universe just as Max, Chloe, and Rachel. Alex is already confirmed to appear in the ongoing Life is Strange comic series as well. Most importantly, Alex is a character solely crafted by Deck Nine Studio, which already makes her appearance more plausible in a future entry than Sean and Diaz. Max and Chloe are more likely to be cruising around in the US and have more of a chance of bumping into Alex than Sean and Diaz, who could be all the way up in Puerto Lobos.
The most subtle reference that Life is Strange 4 could have a crossover of protagonists from previous Life is Strange games is the recently revealed Life is Strange trailer for Nintendo Switch. The anime-style trailer reveals Max, Chloe, and Alex together, seemingly hinting that these three are the future of the Life is Strange franchise.
All these subtle references suggest that Life is Strange 4 could feature Alex Chen and the returning Max and Chloe. However, Life is Strange 4, if it exists, could still be years away at this point. Hopefully, the upcoming Life is Strange: True Colors should set the stage for Life is Strange 4 and set fans' expectations right for the franchise's foreseeable future.
Life is Strange: True Colors launches September 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.