Regardless of who you are and what you do in life, there will be times when your confidence is shaken. It can happen at the most random of times, or it could be something that happens immediately as you try and make something. Given the grand pressures that the video game world has, it’s unsurprising that many teams behind hit titles have had issues with their confidence as they’ve made their titles. But what might surprise you is that Sam Lake of Ready noted that it was a movie that helped Alan Wake 2 become what it was meant to be.
The sequel to the cult-classic title was not a guarantee for many years. In fact, Remedy’s lead and the game’s director, Sam Lake, even said at one point that the sequel wasn’t happening. However, some time passed, and they had hits with other games, and they decided to make a sequel that would push the realms of sanity to the extreme while also having tons of fun. The game was so good that Alan Wake 2 won Best Game Direction at The Game Awards. But in an interview with The Washington Post, he revealed that the Oscar-winning film Everything, Everywhere, All At Once helped stabilize his confidence and prove that they were making the right movie at the right time:
“We were already really far into making this, but it gave me confidence into understanding that what we’re doing here, we are doing these things at the right time.”
He praised the movie for breaking conventions and trying to do things that were insane, weird, hilarious, and everything in between, which is something Remedy is known for, too!
“I think we are prisoners of these ideas, and we have such a strong desire to find the answers and make up the answers. We are very, very eager to create rules and laws and define things. In fiction and art, it’s important to try and break out of that. I feel like Alan Wake’s view in this is quite limited, and that’s one of the interesting flaws in our character.”
One of the things that helped make the game a success is that they weren’t afraid to “go nuts” and do things that no other game would. Examples of this were having two different gameplay styles and worlds based on the game’s two protagonists—interceding live-action and gaming graphics moments, and, of course, doing a live-action musical number.
Sometimes, it’s good to be weird.
