Life is Strange: Double Exposure Wins Award at GDC but Nobody There to Receive It

Life is Strange: Double Exposure won the Social Impact award at the Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA), but no one was initially present to accept the trophy. This awkward situation shines a light on the tough reality at developer Deck Nine Games, which has been hit with multiple rounds of layoffs since releasing the game last October.

Elizabeth Ballou, former narrative designer for Double Exposure, explained the situation on social media:

"It's fitting that nobody was there to accept the GDCA award that Double Exposure won, because we all got laid off lol."

"A bunch of us are at GDC, but we didn't know we were even nominated so nobody was prepared to accept anything."

"We are coming to get the award please don't give it away"

The game brought back fan-favorite protagonist Max Caulfield (voiced by Hannah Telle) with some cool new time-bending powers, but it just didn't click with enough players. Sales fell short of expectations, reportedly dealing a "large loss" to publisher Square Enix.

As Kotaku reported, some team members who happened to be at GDC for other reasons did manage to collect the award later, though they weren't there specifically for the ceremony.

Stephen Totilo from Game File noticed the absence while backstage:

"Nearly every game that won had people coming through, beaming with their trophy in hand. It stood out that, for Life is Strange, which won the Social Impact award, there was no one."

Deck Nine underwent their second round of layoffs in December 2024 – their third mass layoff in just two years – following the game's disappointing commercial performance.

Despite these challenges, game director Jon Stauder had previously hinted at plans for the series' future, stating:

"That ending is just to say that we have a future plan... This is all heading somewhere, should folks want more after Double Exposure."

But with a dramatically smaller studio and underwhelming sales, the future of Max Caulfield's time-hopping adventures remains up in the air - even as the game receives recognition for its meaningful storytelling and social impact.