Life is Strange lost a key actor due to SAG-AFTRA strike Ashly Burch only served as a consultant for Chloe in three-part prequel Before the Storm

Matthew Handrahan Editor-in-Chief Tuesday 13th June 2017 Share this article Share

Companies in this article Square Enix

The SAG-AFTRA voice-actor strike means that Ashly Burch will not reprise her role as Chloe in the second season of Life is Strange.

The existence of a second season of Life is Strange was announced by creator Dontnod Entertainment last month. However, an additional prequel season called Before the Storm was unveiled at the Xbox press conference this week.

What wasn't apparent in Before the Storm's brief appearance onstage at E3 was a change in one of the protagonists, Chloe, who was voiced in the first season of Life is Strange by Ashly Burch. Yesterday, Burch used Twitter to clarify that her role had to change due to a strike organised by the SAG-AFTRA union, which started in October last year.

Hey y'all, to the fans asking - I wasn't able to reprise my role as Chloe in Life is Strange: Before the Storm due to the SAG-AFTRA strike — Ashly Burch (@ashly_burch) June 12, 2017

The SAG-AFTRA strike has received a great deal of attention, but this is a rare occasion on which its impact will be obvious to the gaming audience. According to Burch, she was involved with Before the Storm as a consultant on Chloe's character, but her participation was limited due to the strike action.

The first season of Life is Strange was five episodes long, and attracted 3 million paying customers. Square Enix will publish the prequel season, but the IP's creator, Dontnod Entertainment, will not return as developer. The three prequel episodes that comprise Before the Storm will be made by the US studio Deck Nine Games.

Dontnod is currently working on the second full season of Life is Strange and the action RPG Vampyr, which is due for release in November this year.