Remedy Games, the developers of Control, announced last week the forthcoming release of Alan Wake Remastered. Speculation and hype for a pending sequel to the much-loved 2010 action-adventure game immediately ensued and now, recent comments made by journalist Jeff Grubb have fueled hope for fans of the series.
The remarks were made on a stream [paywall] Grubb hosts with GiantBomb, GrubbSnax. VGC reports that Grubb stated: “[Remedy is] planning an Alan Wake sequel. This is something I’ve talked about before… they are working with Epic Games on producing an Alan Wake 2, or at least it’s in the planning stages.”
But what else do we know that suggests a sequel is in development, or even on the table at all?
In 2019, Remedy bought the rights to Alan Wake, released as an Xbox 360 exclusive, from its publisher Microsoft ahead of Control’s launch. Remedy then signed with Epic Games Publishing in 2020 for two projects, of which Alan Wake Remastered looks to be the first. If a sequel is in the works, then it is likely to be published as part of this same deal, as reporting on the rumor has been positioned.
Remedy’s previous statements seem to all but confirm this to be the case. “Remedy is working on two multi-platform games for next-generation consoles and PC that will be published by Epic Games,” the studio announced in a 2020 press release. The first project is a “AAA multi-platform game” in development, while the second is a “new, smaller-scale project set in the same franchise.” Given the scope of the remaster, and that it’s not exactly “new,” Alan Wake 2 may not be a full-sized game, but something more akin to Marvel’s Spider-Man Miles Morales.
The final DLC for Control, “AWE,” also heavily suggested a future convergence of each game’s protagonists by tying each world together. The expansion left off with Federal Bureau of Control director Jesse Faden planning to track Wake down in Bright Falls. We don’t know if Alan Wake 2 would pick up from that beat, but a conclusion to each character’s story in a smaller crossover title does seem plausible.
The exact status of development on a sequel project is unknown, however. While Remedy is busy, the studio simultaneously works on a handful of titles at a time. Grubb himself added to his above comments: “Remedy is really busy. They’re super, super busy, so we’ll have to wait and see if that turns into anything soon or not.”
Meanwhile, Alan Wake Remastered launches on PC via Epic Games Store, PS4 and PS5, as well as the Xbox family of consoles, this fall.