With the launch of the first episode, or Tape as developer and publisher Don’t Nod likes to call it, on July 09, 2025,Lost Records: Bloom & Ragemarks the beginning of a brand-new IP from the studio behind titles like Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden and Tell Me Why. However, unlike the majority of its recent efforts, Don’t Nod goes back to its episodic roots with Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, which is an element that catapulted the developer to popularity when it was implemented in 2015’s Life Is Strange and its sequels.
Given the similarities that the two IPs clearly share with one another thanks to their overall structure, the question of whether they’re set in the same universe or not naturally arises.
Is Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Set In The Life Is Strange Universe?
During an era whereshared universes have become quite the norm, ranging from media in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to video games in the Remedy Connected Universe, it would not be far-fetched to assume that Don’t Nod would follow a similar path.
However,Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is not set in the same universe as Life Is Strangefor multiple reasons. For starters, despite being arguably the most iconic IP that the developer has ever worked on,Don’t Nod does not own the rights to Life Is Strange, as Square Enix was the one that published games in this series.
Which means thatDon’t Nod can’t legally connect the universesof Lost Records: Bloom & Rage and Life Is Strange, unless Square Enix gives the developer the permission to do so. It is also important to note that since Don’t Nod’s first game in 2013, Remember Me, up until 2020’s Tell Me Why,each title had been published by different companies, ranging from Capcom to Xbox Game Studios.
Don’t Nod took ownership of its work andstarted to self-publish its video games, starting with Twin Mirror in 2020, and since then, aside from Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, each title has been published by the developer itself.
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage continues Don’t Nod’s self-publishing journey, which is why itdoes not directly borrow any assetsfrom the Life Is Strange IP. Sure, the episodic structure and the narrative focus in Lost Records: Bloom & Rage further cement the developer’s strengths already showcased in Life Is Strange, butit is a completely fresh IPthat aims to be the beginning of something bigger.
During an interviewleading up to Lost Records: Bloom & Rage’s launch, creative director Michael Koch explained that he and his team “are trying to create another story, universe, and world-building,” which is something that they will build on with potential future installments.
In short, trying to connect Lost Records: Bloom & Rage to Life Is Strange, or making somewhat of a sequel to the latter, would have come withconstraints from the Square Enix end. Which is why Don’t Nod is treating Lost Records: Bloom & Rage as a new start that canbe molded into any creative directionthat the developer would want for its IP.
