- Primary Subject: Life is Strange: True Colors – Characters Alex Chen & Steph Gingrich
- Key Update: Future Life is Strange games or spin-offs should bring back Alex and Steph, exploring their untapped stories and potential.
- Status: Confirmed (as fan interest and developer discussion exist; no official sequel announced yet)
- Last Verified: January 22, 2026
- Quick Answer: Fans want future Life is Strange games to feature Alex Chen or Steph Gingrich, either as protagonists or key supporting characters with expanded storylines.
The next Life is Strange game should have been about Alex Chen or Steph Gingrich.
As Deck Nine mobilizes Life is Strange: Reunion’s marketing, half of its community is skeptical about their take on Max and Chloe’s latest adventures, considering the lukewarm reception of their previous game, Double Exposure, where its writing wasn’t up to par with the series’ previous entries.
When Life is Strange: True Colors came out, it was one of the freshest takes on the series formula. It marked a rebirth of a series that had trouble finding its footing after the first game’s fantastic (and heartbreaking) ending.
Max and Chloe were no more, and neither are Sean and Daniel. True Colors was about Alex Chen and her time in the idyllic Haven Springs, Colorado. With her Empath powers, she can read emotions from people, but at the cost of sharing what they feel as well. It was a breath of fresh air in the Life is Strange formula, where our protagonist’s abilities were always the world-ending type.
Alex Chen’s character had a full arc in True Colors. Returning to a town she once called home to pay respects to his dead brother was a much more grounded motivation than trying to stop a massive tornado about to engulf half of Oregon.
Her personal growth by the end of the game largely depends on the player's choice, but all of them still led to Alex embracing her emotions, using her powers as a source of strength, rather than a curse.
While Alex’s story is officially completed, there’s still more to be explored with her character, especially after time in Haven Springs. Fans have long called for Deck Nine to give her another game, or a crossover with Max and Chloe, but alas, that wasn’t in their pipeline. There was still much to be done about Alex’s Empath powers. Now that she has finally acknowledged its usefulness, the next game could dive deeper into it, showing more complex emotions ala Pixar’s Inside Out 2.
But Alex isn’t the only major character in Life is Strange: True Colors. In her time in Haven Springs, she also had moments of romance, particularly with Steph, a notable character that fans of the series recognize.
Stephanie Gingrich is a recurring character from the first Life is Strange game. She was one of Max Caulfield’s friends in her days at Blackwell Academy. A little odd, but her music taste and quirkiness were her defining traits. Her bonus episode in True Colors, “Wavelengths,” explored more of her character a year before Alex arrived in Haven Springs.
Wavelengths wasn’t a particularly long episode, but it showed how Steph had the potential to be a series mainstay thanks to her geek interests. She loves Dungeon & Dragons, indie artists like the band Daughter, and she has the charisma to lead her own radio show.
She was a full package and a positive force in the series. Although she’s not exactly as fully fleshed out as other Life is Strange protagonists, that reasoning alone could’ve been enough for Deck Nine to explore her character even further. Even without the series’ staple supernatural powers, Steph could always act as a partner to one. She already had experience working alongside Alex (and a bit with Max), so a game with her as a protagonist isn’t outside the realm of possibility. Powerless, sure, but it makes for a compelling character study that could reinvent the series’ reliance on superpowers.
Both Alex and Steph needed to come back in future Life is Strange entries, whether as protagonists or as key side characters who help drive the story. There are still so many unexplored possibilities with their characters, and fans (including myself) are eager to see them explored.
Perhaps we’ll get the chance once Deck Nine officially concludes Max and Chloe’s storylines, but I wouldn’t keep my hopes up.
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