One of the most anticipated games in many years has to be Alan Wake 2. Thankfully for fans, it won’t be long until the tortured writer is about to be unleashed on the gaming community once more. A new interview with Remedy Entertainment has given a bit more perspective into the development of the long-awaited sequel, as well as shed some light on what players can expect from the overall experience.
Speaking in a new interview with GamesRadar+, Alan Wake and Alan Wake 2 creative director Sam Lake explains that the desire to create the sequel was always there, despite the original game being released some 13 years ago. “I feel like I never left Alan Wake behind,” Lake explains, adding that “there was always the full intention to return to him; there was always more story to tell, and the characters and the setting were too precious to be forgotten.” Although the wait in-between games has been lengthy, it seems as though the timing is now right thanks to the success and storyline of other games such as Control, which helped create the Remedy Connected Universe. “The story kept growing and evolving through the years,” says Lake, “and we created a new concept between every project. This time, after Control, everything finally clicked into place.”
Fans of the original Alan Wake will be eager to know more about the tone and overall concept of the sequel. As far as that goes, Remedy is clearly aiming to create an even darker experience for players. Discussing the game’s change of direction, game director Kyle Rowley explains that Alan Wake 2 will be much more of a survival horror experience as opposed to an action title with disturbing elements, as in the previous Alan Wake and Alan Wake’s American Nightmare. “I’d love to get into those kinds of details,” Rowley admits, “but we are not quite ready to reveal too much about our approach to survival horror just yet. What I will say is that we very much want to put a stake in the ground and say we are creating Remedy’s take on the survival horror genre.”
The game certainly sounds as if it’s been a mammoth undertaking for Remedy, although its clear from the interview that it’s definitely been a labour of love for Lake and Rowley. While further details about the game are still a bit thin on the ground, it’s expected that Remedy will release Alan Wake 2 at some point this year. We’ll be keeping an ear to the ground for further details on a specific release date. The game is intended to be released on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and PC. Watch this space.
