Dontnod's Tell Me Why: Chapter One Releases This August

Dontnod Entertainment, the studio known for the Life is Strange series, has been hard at work on their next title, Tell Me Why. And the first fruits of their efforts are nearly complete. The release date for Chapter 1 has been revealed, and its just a little over a month away.

A new trailer for Tell Me Why appeared in the recent Xbox Games Showcase, showing off the general plot of the game. It concluded by revealing that Chapter 1 will release on August 27, 2020.



Tell Me Why follows the story of two siblings as they return to a childhood home, one where they experienced a traumatic event at the hands of their mother. The two share a magical bond, allowing them to see events from the past and old memories.

In the past, Dontnod mentioned that they will release all three chapters to the game at once, instead of one at a time, something they did with previous games. With the new announcement that only Chapter 1 will release on that date, were included to believe that this is no longer true. Complications due to the pandemic may have caused unexpected delays.

One aspect of note was also uncovered in a frequently added FAQ page about the game, reassuring us that the trans nature of the protagonist will not be something rooted in pain or trauma.

One of the siblings, the brother named Tyler, is a trans man that was assigned female at birth, who identified as male at a young age. Dontnod wanted to clarify that the trauma relating to their mother is not related to their transitioning and that it plays no role in Tyler's story. 

They also explain that depictions of transphobia don't exist any further than a few ignorant comments and microaggressions from NPCs in the opening chapter. Tyler's transition is fully respected from that point onward, and he is never deadnamed.

Tell Me Why will be available on Xbox One and PC on August 27.