Dontnod Entertainmentwas recently confirmed to have entered a funding partnership with Tencent, which now owns a minority stake in the company. The decision, according toDontnod, will allow the company to continue self-publishing game releases. This prompted some questions online about Dontnod’s relationship with Square Enix, which had published theLife is Strangegames. One industry insider was quick to respond that the Dontnod and Square Enix relationship has been defunct for some time.
Emily Rogers of Nintendo World Report, known for herArcadeGirl64 leaks, shared what she knew on Twitter. According to Rogers, Dontnod and Square Enix “parted ways a long, long time ago.“Life is Strange 2, the two companies' most-recent collaboration, was released in 2018. But the timeframe that Rogers is likely referring to probably goes even further back than that, indicating a split that occurred even beforeLife is Strange 2was released.
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With regards to theLife is Strangefranchise, Rogers says that it’s going to be handled by developer Deck Nine going forward. Deck Nine, asLife is Strangefans will recall, was the developer of theLife is Strangeprequel,Before the Storm.Before the Stormwas released in 2017, a year prior toLife is Strange 2’s release. Suffice to say, Square Enix’s ownership of theLife is Strangeproperty and it handing that license to another developer may not have sat well with Dontnod.
Regardless of what happened withLife is Strange, Dontnod has plenty of opportunities in front of it.Tell Me Why, which Microsoft Game Studios published in 2020, won a Gamescom award for Best Xbox Game and the Game for Impact award at The Game Awards. And Dontnod self-published its first game in 2020, too, withTwin Mirror. Given the recentTencent investment, Dontnod appears to have come out of its Square Enix partnership all the stronger.
