''Alan Wake II'' is an upcoming
survival horror game developed by
Remedy Entertainment
Remedy Entertainment Oyj, trading internationally as Remedy Entertainment Plc, is a Finnish video game developer based in Espoo. Notable games the studio has developed include the first two instalments in the '' Max Payne'' franchise, ''Alan ...
and published by
Epic Games Publishing
Epic Games, Inc. is an American video game and software developer and publisher based in Cary, North Carolina. The company was founded by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems in 1991, originally located in his parents' house in Potomac, M ...
. A sequel to ''
Alan Wake
''Alan Wake'' is an action-adventure game developed by Remedy Entertainment. The story follows best-selling thriller novelist Alan Wake as he tries to uncover the mystery behind his wife's disappearance during a vacation in the small fictional ...
'' (2010), the game is set to be released for
PlayStation 5
The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, it was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North Ame ...
,
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
, and
Xbox Series X/S
The Xbox Series X/S are home video game consoles developed by Microsoft. They were both released on November 10, 2020, as the fourth generation Xbox, succeeding the Xbox One. Along with Sony's PlayStation 5, also released in November 2020, t ...
in 2023.
Development
Remedy Entertainment released ''
Alan Wake
''Alan Wake'' is an action-adventure game developed by Remedy Entertainment. The story follows best-selling thriller novelist Alan Wake as he tries to uncover the mystery behind his wife's disappearance during a vacation in the small fictional ...
'' in 2010. Remedy learnt from their lessons working on ''
Max Payne'' and wrote ''Alan Wake'' in a way that allows additional story to be told through sequels and additional installments. The team quickly began to discuss sequel ideas after ''Alan Wake'' was shipped. The sequel would continue to star Alan Wake as the protagonist, but it would also explore the stories of the supporting characters including Wake's friend Barry Wheeler and Sheriff Sarah Breaker. A prototype was created to show off the gameplay of ''Alan Wake 2'' when the studio was showing the game to potential publishers. New enemies and new gameplay mechanics, such as being able to rewrite reality, was showcased in the prototype. Narratively, it will be a direct continuation of ''Alan Wake''. Ultimately, Remedy pitched the project to ''Alan Wake'' publisher
Microsoft Studios
Xbox Game Studios (previously known as Microsoft Studios, Microsoft Game Studios, and Microsoft Games) is an American video game publisher and part of the Microsoft Gaming division based in Redmond, Washington. It was established in March 2000, ...
. Microsoft, however, at the time was not interested in a sequel and instead, tasked Remedy to create something new. This ultimately became ''
Quantum Break
''Quantum Break'' is a 2016 science fiction action-adventure third-person shooter video game developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by Microsoft Studios for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One. The game centers on Jack Joyce ( Shawn Ashmor ...
'', which was released in 2016. Most of the ideas for ''Alan Wake 2'' were implemented in ''
American Nightmare'', a downloadable follow-up for the original ''Alan Wake'' game.
When ''Quantum Break'' was announced,
Sam Lake
Sami Antero Järvi (born in 1970), better known by his artist name Sam Lake ('Järvi' is Finnish for lake), is a Finnish video game writer. He is the creative director at Remedy Entertainment, known for his writing (as well as his likeness) on t ...
explained that a sequel to ''Alan Wake'' had been postponed, and that ''Alan Wake'' was not financially successful enough to receive the funding they needed to continue developing the sequel at the time.
Director of communications Thomas Puha stated in April 2019 that Remedy had briefly returned to work on an ''Alan Wake'' property about two years prior, but the effort did not work out, and the company is presently booked for the next few years, between their own new game ''
Control
Control may refer to:
Basic meanings Economics and business
* Control (management), an element of management
* Control, an element of management accounting
* Comptroller (or controller), a senior financial officer in an organization
* Controllin ...
'', supporting
Smilegate
Smilegate is a South Korean video game developer and Video game developer, publisher, which develops, publishes and services mobile and PC online games. It has five core business sectors: game development, publishing, platform, investment and soc ...
on its game ''
Crossfire
A crossfire (also known as interlocking fire) is a military term for the siting of weapons (often automatic weapons such as assault rifles or sub-machine guns) so that their arcs of fire overlap. This tactic came to prominence in World War I.
S ...
'', and another new project. Puha said that the only limited factor for them to work on an ''Alan Wake'' sequel was "time, money, and resources". Despite that, Lake continued to be part of a team in Remedy to brainstorm ideas and work on different incarnations for ''Alan Wake II''. Internally, the project was codenamed "Project Big Fish", which represented its importance and significance to Remedy.
In the second
downloadable content
Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...
pack for ''Control'', Remedy's next game following ''Quantum Break'', Alan Wake was featured as a character. According to Remedy, ''Control'' established the "Remedy Connected Universe" which is shared by both ''Control'' and ''Alan Wake'', and that the next game released by the studio will also be set on this universe.
In July 2018, Remedy CEO Tero Virtala stated that any further sequels to ''Alan Wake'' would require Microsoft Studios' approval as the publishing rights holder, though Remedy otherwise owns all other IP rights to the series. In July 2019, Remedy fully acquired the rights to ''Alan Wake'' from Microsoft, including a one-time royalty payment of about for the game series' past sales, which helped pave the way for a sequel. In 2021, it was announced that Remedy had signed with
Epic Games Publishing
Epic Games, Inc. is an American video game and software developer and publisher based in Cary, North Carolina. The company was founded by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems in 1991, originally located in his parents' house in Potomac, M ...
for the release of two games. Remedy released ''
Alan Wake Remastered
''Alan Wake'' is an action-adventure game developed by Remedy Entertainment. The story follows best-selling Thriller (genre), thriller novelist Alan Wake as he tries to uncover the mystery behind his wife's disappearance during a vacation in th ...
'' in October 2021 as the first game of this partnership, while the triple-A game was revealed to be ''Alan Wake II'' when the game was officially announced at
The Game Awards 2021
The Game Awards 2021 was an award show that honored the best video games of 2021. The event was hosted by Geoff Keighley, creator and producer of The Game Awards, and was held to an invited audience at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on De ...
.
According to Sam Lake, the game will be powered by Remedy's own
Northlight Engine
Remedy Entertainment Oyj, trading internationally as Remedy Entertainment Plc, is a Finnish video game developer based in Espoo. Notable games the studio has developed include the first two instalments in the '' Max Payne'' franchise, ''Alan ...
, which previously powered ''Quantum Break'', ''Control'', and ''Alan Wake Remastered''. Lake also stated that ''Alan Wake II'' will be a
survival horror
Survival horror is a subgenre of survival of the players as the game tries to frighten them with either horror graphics or scary ambience. Although combat can be part of the gameplay, the player is made to feel less in control than in typical ac ...
game, as opposed to ''Alan Wake'', which Lake said was "an
action game
An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, and platform gam ...
with horror elements", though he did not explain the difference between the two. Lake further added that players will not need to play the previous games in order to understand ''Alan Wake II''.
Remedy confirmed the game will remain in the
third-person perspective
Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...
despite the switch to survival horror, and that both
Ilkka Villi
Ilkka Villi (born 4 August 1975) is a Finnish actor and writer, best known internationally for his work in the video game ''Alan Wake'' as well as the crime drama series '' Bordertown''. He has played a variety of roles in theatre, television, a ...
and
Matthew Porretta
Matthew Charles Porretta (born May 29, 1965) is an American television-, voice-, and film-actor, known for his appearances in ''Wings'', ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', and '' Robin Hood: Men in Tights''. He has also appeared on Broadway and in video ...
will return to provide the appearance and the voice of Alan, respectively.
References
External links
*
{{Remedy Entertainment
Upcoming video games scheduled for 2023
Survival horror video games
Epic Games games
Windows games
PlayStation 5 games
Xbox Series X and Series S games
Remedy Entertainment games
Third-person shooters
Video games developed in Finland
Video game sequels
Video games about the paranormal