Don't Nod's Journey: From Life Is Strange to Lost Records

Four years ago, Don't Nod Montréal began working on its first title outside the Life Is Strange franchise, which would eventually become Lost Records: Bloom and Rage. The team behind the first two Life Is Strange games brought this new project to life. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, creative director Michel Koch, studio executive producer Luc Baghadoust, and producer Cathy Vincelli discussed how Lost Records marks a new direction for the developer while maintaining its tradition of producing narrative-driven games centered around choices and consequences. Initially set to launch in late 2024, the release of Lost Records was pushed to early 2025 to avoid clashing with the next Life Is Strange installment, Double Exposure, developed by Deck Nine. According to Baghadoust, this decision was a "good outcome" as it gives the team more time to polish the content and ensure it's great when released. With the added pressure on Lost Records following Don't Nod's latest financial results, the company paused two projects after Jusant and Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden performed below expectations. The concept of Lost Records began with creative director Michel Koch while presenting Life Is Strange 2 at Gamescom in 2019. The team started discussing the idea of a group of teenage girls and adults with characters of their own age to provide a different perspective. Lost Records alternates between two timelines: the present day and the '90s, which was chosen as the development team's "formative years". The team drew inspiration from media from the era, including Twin Peaks, which helped balance the game's supernatural elements, and female-centric films like Foxfire and The Craft. Despite being Don't Nod Montréal's first IP outside the Life Is Strange franchise, the series heavily influenced Lost Records, adapting and evolving the studio's penchant for narrative-driven games. The team learned a significant lesson from developing Life Is Strange: "Characters are key." By focusing on characters, the team maintained a balance, ensuring they were relatable enough for players to connect with. Koch emphasizes that starting with archetypes, the personalities of each character come soon after. The team added a second layer to the characters, making them feel like real people. The dialogue system in Lost Records is designed to be natural and realistic, allowing players to choose how they want to engage in conversations. The overall goal with Lost Records was to make it more reactive than Don't Nod's previous titles, particularly Life Is Strange, with players having control and the game being more responsive to their actions.