Life is Strange: Reunion Beats Square Enix Expectations After Double Exposure's Poor Performance

If you've followed Square Enix over the past several years, you've probably noticed a familiar pattern. The publisher has developed a reputation for saying that many of its games failed to meet expectations, even when they appeared to sell reasonably well. 

That reputation is somewhat deserved, but it doesn't tell the whole story, since the company has also released games that performed well. Still, it has become common to see Square Enix set ambitious goals and later describe respectable results as disappointing.

People have often made that comparison with EA, which has faced similar criticism in the past. 

You could see a game sell millions of copies and still hear that it underperformed because internal targets were much higher. Square Enix has often been viewed through the same lens, making it notable whenever the company publicly says that one of its games actually exceeded expectations. 

The result stands out because it has been a long time since Square Enix has given that kind of recognition to a Life is Strange game. If you look back at the series, you will see that the original Life is Strange is widely regarded as the last entry that clearly surpassed expectations. 

Life is Strange 2 generally did not meet the publisher's expectations, while later games had mixed commercial results. Before the Storm may have performed well relative to what was expected from Deck Nine at the time, but Reunion marks a rare moment where Square Enix openly described a new release as exceeding expectations.

The company's financial briefing provides important context because it shows that those expectations were already quite low. In its report, Square Enix explained that it had revised the game's pricing strategy after the poor performance of the previous title. It also said the company was taking a cautious approach because of the uncertainty of launching a game at the end of the fiscal year. 

The pricing decision is especially interesting because it suggests the company originally considered charging more. Instead of sticking with a higher launch price, Square Enix appears to have adjusted its plans after seeing how Life is Strange: Double Exposure performed. 

While it’s not confirmed that the original price would have been $60 or something close, the wording strongly suggests the publisher lowered both its expectations and its pricing strategy. You can definitely see the effect those decisions had on the performance of the last game.

Later in the same financial report, Square Enix stated that both Life is Strange: Reunion and Dragon Quest VII Re-Imagined exceeded expectations during the fourth quarter. 

The publisher also credited several additional factors for contributing to operating income. That outcome reinforces the idea that successful releases still exist outside of Final Fantasy, even if discussions around Square Enix often focus on that franchise. Other series have quietly continued to perform well.

The Dragon Quest series has already shown that pattern with the HD-2D remakes of the first three games, which reportedly performed very well. The Octopath Traveler games have also built a solid commercial track record for Square Enix. Adding Dragon Quest VII Re-Imagined to that list suggests the company continues to find success with several long-running franchises. 

Even so, Square Enix remains a company that inspires mixed feelings among longtime fans. You can appreciate franchises like Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, and Life is Strange, which the publisher has created, but there have been some recent business decisions that have been difficult to support. 

That combination leaves many fans feeling conflicted; the company keeps making games that people love but also makes decisions that people heavily criticize. Those two realities have coexisted for years. As a result, fans tend to view every positive financial update with cautious optimism rather than unquestioned excitement.

For Deck Nine, however, Reunion's result represents something worth celebrating. Everyone who contributed to the project, including former developers who are no longer at the studio, can point to a game that surpassed Square Enix's expectations. That achievement matters regardless of how low those expectations may have been. 

The biggest unknown remains the actual sales figures. Game publishers have become increasingly reluctant to share detailed sales data, making it much harder to compare newer releases with older ones. The original Life is Strange remains the easiest title in the series to estimate because it has shared more information over the years. 

That uncertainty makes it difficult to judge Reunion's performance. It also raises questions about Double Exposure, which is widely believed to have struggled financially. The game seems to have underperformed commercially, regardless of whether you loved it, hated it, or were somewhere in-between. 

Because of that, Reunion might have already matched or even surpassed Double Exposure in sales. 

Nobody outside Square Enix knows where the actual numbers stand, making it impossible to judge what "exceeded expectations" really means. If internal forecasts were extremely conservative, even modest sales could have been enough to beat them. At the same time, a franchise like Life is Strange would ideally be selling far more than a few hundred thousand copies over its lifetime.

Looking ahead, Reunion's performance naturally sparks discussion about the future of the series. Exceeding expectations usually gives publishers another reason to continue investing in a property. But when expectations are so low, beating them doesn't necessarily mean a major change of long-term strategy. 

One idea that keeps coming up is how important Max and Chloe are to the franchise. They have been popular for years, and recent developments seem to only cement that position. The upcoming television adaptation is based on the original Life is Strange, while Reunion has now exceeded expectations after Double Exposure struggled. 

That doesn't mean everyone wants the franchise to focus entirely on Max and Chloe. Some fans enjoy the anthology format with new leads, but others would like to see other characters get more development. Even so, the commercial evidence increasingly points toward Max and Chloe being the strongest draw for the series. 

That distinction may prove especially important in the future.

If Square Enix ever decides to revisit these characters again, the idea of bringing back Max without Chloe seems much less convincing after what happened with Double Exposure. The stronger takeaway is that the two characters work best together rather than separately. 

The broader question is whether Life is Strange is ultimately defined by Max and Chloe or whether it can continue thriving as a wider anthology series. Square Enix has never fully committed to one direction over the other. Recent results don't completely settle that debate, but they do provide another piece of evidence supporting the original pair's lasting popularity. 

For now, the television series may end up having the biggest impact on the franchise's future. A successful adaptation could introduce entirely new audiences to the original game before naturally leading them toward Life is Strange: Reunion. That kind of long-term exposure could help the latest entry continue building momentum over time. 

If that happens, Reunion could continue posting steady sales gains for years instead of relying solely on its launch window. Other games in the franchise may receive occasional boosts as well, although the original Life is Strange and Reunion appear to be the strongest candidates for long-term growth. 

Over time, that trend could further reinforce the value of Max and Chloe within the series. For now, Life is Strange: Reunion stands as a rare example of a Square Enix game doing exactly what the publisher hoped it would do—and even a little more.