Life is Strange: Double Exposure already teases a direct sequel

Life is Strange: Double Exposure is out today. While nothing has been officially announced by developer Deck Nine or publisher Square Enix, several aspects of Double Exposure’s conclusion suggest that there is an intention to release a direct sequel.

 Ending spoilers follow for Life is Strange: Double Exposure.

Most obviously, the very end of Double Exposure’s credits proclaims: “Max Caulfield will return.” It’s the kind of proclamation that became a cliché thanks to Marvel Cinematic Universe movies promising that the heroes they feature would come back to theaters in the future. To see that used in a very different kind of superpower-related media like Life is Strange is unexpected, but apt.

This message appears at the end of Life is Strange: Double Exposure, confirming that Max Caulfield will return in the future. Square Enix

At the very least, it’s a confirmation that Max Caulfield is too iconic a character for Square Enix to leave behind. It was a bit of a surprise that Double Exposure starred her when it was announced, but now we should expect her to be a key player in the series going forward. Looking at how Double Exposure’s narrative wraps up, there’s also some clear indication of where it will go next.

The biggest twist in Double Exposure is that Max’s friend, Safi, also has superpowers. She can transform into other people, and her actions ultimately cause the storm at Double Exposure’s climax. Max refuses to kill Safi and creates a merged timeline for Safi to survive. After that, Safi tells Max that she will search for other people with powers now that she knows she isn’t the only one with them.

Max can choose to agree to support her or not, and Double Exposure ends with her giving a pep talk to her friends about how they’ll be prepared for whatever comes next. A post-credit scene sees Safi recruit Diamond, a student Max interacts with a lot throughout the adventure and who has powers, after the events of this game. It’s unknown exactly where the story will go from here, as no official announcements have been made and there is no insider information on it. I’ll personally speculate that this is setting up a sequel where superpowered characters from other Life is Strange games could potentially appear.

That continuation is likely a ways from release, though, so for now, we can just enjoy Double Exposure for what it is and wait for Square Enix to make an official announcement. If you want to experience this ending, Life is Strange: Double Exposure is now available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.