Life is Strange: Reunion was announced yesterday with a release date that’s surprisingly soon: March 26. The announcement was made with a lengthy showcase that immediately explained everyone’s burning questions about the upcoming entry, such as how Chloe survives in world states where she perishes at the end of the original Life is Strange.
The reaction to the announcement has been mixed — Life is Strange: Double Exposure was the worst-reviewed entry in the series, and not everyone is confident that Deck Nine can turn the series around based on what they’ve seen from Reunion.
There’s also been some criticism of the design of Chloe Price, who doesn’t seem to have changed much despite the 12-year gap between the original game and Reunion. She’s 31-years-old, but onlookers say she’s just her 19-year-old self aged up, rather than a character that’s gone through a decade of additional experiences.
Ashly Burch Won’t Be Returning For Life is Strange: Reunion
Another disappointing realisation came when people found out that Chloe’s original actor, Ashly Burch, would not be returning for Reunion, with Deck Nine opting to use Rhianna DeVries (who played Chloe in Before the Storm) for the project. Burch is best-known for voicing Aloy in the Horizon series, and Tiny Tina in the Borderlands series.
DeVries was originally the motion capture actor for Chloe, but a SAG-AFTRA strike between 2016 and 2017 prevented Burch from acting in Before the Storm, and so DeVries was brought on to provide the voice work for Chloe in addition to motion capture.
At the time, this recasting was controversial as DeVries, as a non-union worker, was accused of ‘crossing the picket line’ to replace a union worker. At the time, commentators such as actor Felicia Day were critical of the decision. That being said, Burch was brought on as a creative consultant for the character (which didn’t violate the terms of the strike) and returned to voice Chloe for the game’s bonus episode.
“I Might Not Have Written It That Way”: Ashly Burch Responds To Max And Chloe’s Relationship In Life Is Strange: Double Exposure
The voice behind Life is Strange’s Chloe Price, Ashly Burch, doesn’t think her and Max would have broken up either.
However, Deck Nine opted to use non-union actors for each of its next projects. Max Caulfield’s actor Hannah Telle is a fi-core member of SAG-AFTRA, which means she can work on non-union projects in exchange for forfeiting full membership benefits. However, Burch is a full member of the union, rendering her unable to work on Reunion.
“I love Ash and she’s a great voice actor. For me, she is Chloe and if this is the last time we see Chloe, which if advertising is to be believed it will be, I would have loved her to come back. It’s no disrespect to Rihanna at all, I think she’s done a great job and I hope people aren’t sending her hate or anything, it’s just personal preference,” writes Muscat95, embodying the general sentiment towards Burch’s non-appearance in Reunion.
“I have nothing against Rihanna personally but Ashly is Chloe, and f**k Square Enix for refusing to pay voice actors fairly,” writes Lord_Shadow_Z.
Life is Strange: Reunion releases on March 26.
Life is Strange: Reunion
- Released
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March 26, 2026
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+
- Developer(s)
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Deck Nine
- PC Release Date
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March 26, 2026
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
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March 26, 2026
- PS5 Release Date
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March 26, 2026
