Life is Strange: True Colors legally isn’t able to show subtitles during copyrighted songs

Life is Strange: True Colors
(Image credit: Square Enix)

Life is Strange: True Colors developer Deck Nine is unable to add subtitles to the singing portions of the game due to licensing restrictions. 

According to a tweet from journalist Laura Kate Dale, who reached out regarding the issue, Life is Strange: True Colors is unable to show the lyrics to the two songs Alex performs in the game "due to licensing restrictions surrounding copyrighted lyrics."

In a statement provided to Dale, "due to licensing restrictions surrounding copyrighted lyrics, subtitles are unfortunately not available during the two sequences where Alex sings." It’s unclear whether Dale reached out to Life is Strange: True Colors' developer Deck Nine or its publisher Square Enix, however, the team responsible for the statement also added that: "We apologize for the lack of subtitle accessibility during these two sequences."

Without spoiling too much of the game for those who have yet to play it yet, during Life is Strange: True Colors Alex - or should we say the character's singing voice actress musician mxmtoon - performs two cover songs, Creep by Radiohead and Blister in the Sun originally by Violent Femmes. However, those who choose to play the game with subtitles turned on will notice that the accessibility feature is absent during these two performances. 

Lower down in the Twitter thread, Dale states that "including [the songs] in subtitles is an accessibility standard other publishers aim for." The spokesperson dealing with the issue added that "we will look into ways to improve this for future games across the portfolio." Unfortunately, it appears that this may not be a simple fix which is disappointing considering how much of this game, as well as the other games in the Life is Strange series, revolves around music. 

Life is Strange: True Colors is out now and available to play on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and will eventually also be playable on Nintendo Switch

Already got your fill of the story-driven adventure series? Take a look at our games like Life is Strange list. 

Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.  

Read more
Yasuke swinging a sword at an enemy and splattering blood during the trailer for Assassin's Creed Shadows.
Assassin's Creed Shadows has an innovative accessibility feature for hard-of-hearing and neurodiverse players, and I hope it becomes the industry standard
Screenshots of Lost Records: Bloom and Rage, one of GamesRadar+'s Big in 2025 games
From what we've seen so far, it would be a bad idea to sleep on Don't Nod's Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
Lost Records: Bloom and Rage
Life is Strange director says Don't Nod returned to its episodic roots in Lost Records because he's not "invested" in Netflix's binge model
Swann, Autumn, Kat, and Nora jam out in the garage while filming themselves in Lost Records: Bloom and Rage
Lost Records: Bloom and Rage – Tape 1 review: "This Life is Strange successor is Stephen King, Blair Witch, and Yellowjackets all rolled into one – delicious"
Hades 2
Hades 2 devs say "we have not recast any of our characters" in the roguelike amid concerns during the ongoing SAG-AFTRA video game strike
Earthblade trailer screenshot
Celeste composer releases soundtrack from canceled Metroidvania game Earthblade, and it's a tearjerker mash-up of classic anime soundtracks and synth: "We'll never get a chance to tell that story in game form"
Latest in Adventure
Pokemon Legends: Z-A screenshot
Pokemon Legends: Z-A will allegedly introduce 27 new Mega Evolutions, leakers claim, and we can only hope Flygon gets its chance this time
Minecraft Vibrant Visuals
16 years after Minecraft first released it's getting a modern visual upgrade with a retro lighting trick that Mojang hasn't seen "in any other game"
Minecraft movie image of Jack Black as steve
Don't expect Minecraft to go free-to-play anytime soon, as Mojang says "It doesn't really work with the way we built it"
Putting cigarettes in fish mouths in Thank Goodness You're Here
Thank Goodness You're Here's developer says it was trying to design a game normally before realizing "we're s**t at video game design"
Shiny cards in Pokemon TCG Pocket
How to get Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon TCG Pocket
Pokemon Legends: Z-A screenshot
Pokemon Legends: Z-A's director appears to be a Xenoblade Chronicles fan, and I'm now feeling very validated about a tiny detail I spotted in the upcoming RPG's gameplay trailer
Latest in News
channing tatum gambit in deadpool and wolverine
Marvel fans are hoping Channing Tatum's Gambit return in Avengers: Doomsday will be different from Deadpool and Wolverine
Final Fantasy 16 protagonist Clive uses magic in closeup screenshot
Despite fans begging for Tifa, Final Fantasy 16's Clive is "significantly more popular" than any other Tekken guest fighter
Spider-Man 4
There might be an obvious reason why Tom Holland's Spider-Man wasn't announced for Avengers: Doomsday
Patrick Stewart in X-Men
Marvel fans are already theorizing how Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and James Marsden's X-Men will be integrated into Avengers: Doomsday
Daredevil: Born Again episode 6
Daredevil's Charlie Cox isn't in the Avengers: Doomsday cast list – but Marvel fans have an idea about how he might still show up
Simu Liu in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Simu Liu had the best reaction to Shang-Chi’s announcement for Avengers: Doomsday, but fans think it's "criminal" there hasn’t been a direct sequel