During the Game Awards, Remedy announced that its next title will be a sequel to Alan Wake, now known as Alan Wake 2. This original third-person psychological thriller title brings a new story to audiences through a writer named Alan Wake, who travels to the rural town of Bright Falls, Washington, to cure his writer’s block. However, a supernatural threat takes over the city, changing its inhabitants from normal humans into mindless creatures. Their only cure? Guns and light. Players must explore the city and eliminate transformed humans and animals, while uncovering the secrets behind everything that is going on.

Since the first game, fans have been asking Remedy to give the Alan Wake series more of a horror focus. The series expands on this story with two specials and the game Alan Wake’s American Nightmare. The original game was more of an action title than a horror experience, and the action leaned more in that direction with the release of Alan Wake’s American Nightmare.

However, things seem to be changing. Along with the Alan Wake 2 announcement came an interview from IGN, who spoke with Remedy’s creative director and Alan Wake 2 co-director, Sam Lake, explaining a bit about the upcoming title, as well as plans for its next release. year.

The 11-minute interview covers a lot of information about Alan Wake 2, with the first question asking how the game came about. He responded by mentioning that while the company wanted to work on an Alan Wake sequel, other things took priority. First, because Remedy is a developer and not a publisher, the company has to build a catalog of titles to show publishers that they can make good content. Now, with titles like Quantum Break and Control, a title like Alan Wake 2 is more likely. Lake also praised luck as a factor in the release of Alan Wake 2, stating that it was also the right time to pitch for a partner wanting to pick up the title.

The interview then moves from how the game was created at Remedy to how much fan support kept the game series alive making another entry in the Alan Wake series possible. Lake responded by saying that fan support for the series is very important. Showing how many people are requesting the game online and through other social media channels helps inform partners about the series. He also mentioned that with Alan Wake’s longevity, fan support helped motivate Remedy to continue the project and showed partners that there was demand for the project.

It is stated that Lake and his company have been working on the game, developing the build over time. The question focused on how the original version had changed from the sequel’s origins with the release of Alan Wake to the final version of Alan Wake 2. Lake stated that the initial version of Alan Wake 2 that came after the first title had elements that were part of Alan Wake’s American Nightmare. Because those ideas were outdated, most elements from the original 2010 prototype were absent from the version of Alan Wake 2 that fans got.

Lake also mentioned that the extra time spent creating the project has opened the door to expanding on what they already had, which has created an overall better product than Lake could boast. Something that also changes in this project is that Alan Wake will be a proper survival horror title, not a genuine psychological action title like the original game. When asked about the change, he mentioned that the shift from action to true horror was part of the journey. With the shift to horror, more ideas were implemented into the sequel, which opened the door to new experiences that would have players truly invested in them. With Alan Wake’s story at the center of the series, it finds the genre taking center stage. would be the best way to handle the sequel. Survival Horror would be the perfect genre for this game to take place. He finished this section by mentioning that Remedy will be taking on the genre.

Lake was asked about the game’s M rating. He responded, stating that having an M-rated game was like a breath of fresh air, providing more freedom without the need to compromise or censor content. He said that this game will not be surprising for the sake of surprising. The game’s story, setting, and events will be consistent with M-rated titles.

Lake was asked if Alan Wake 2 would retain the third-person perspective despite the genre change. He gave a surprising answer, avoiding the question. He stated in the interview that his goal was to announce the game, open up a bit about the design aspects of the game, before going dark “to stay true to the theme of the game” this is where Remedy focused on solving. title before 2023. The interviewer asked if this meant the title would be shown at E3, and he explained that details about the gameplay reveal for Alan Wake 2 would be released at the appropriate time.

The next question asked about this game is about the engine for the title. Remedy partners with Epic Games; their titles have been displayed in their PC storefronts. However, with the release of their next game and with the power of Unreal Engine 5 showcased at the Game Awards with the reveal of the Matrix Experience, the question arises as to whether Remedy will stick with the Northlight Engine they have developed. Lake confirmed that Alan Wake will still use the Northlight Engine, saying the engine is something Remedy is familiar with. They know how the engine works and get the results they want from it when working on Alan Wake 2. This is something they will be more comfortable doing than trying to learn how to make the game they want to make. in Unreal Engine 5. Even though the game will use a different engine, Lake said that Alan Wake 2 will be the best-looking game from the developer.

The interviewer then asked Lake what about the series sticking it to the team to make another game. He mentioned that the game’s story was one of the main players in determining this decision. With the original title ending on a cliffhanger while also being a perfect ending for the character, it was hard for Remedy not to want to make another game and continue the story of Alan Wake.

The final confirmation for the game is that Alan Wake’s voice actor, Matthew Porretta, and Alan Wake’s physical actor, Ilkka Villi, will be reprising their roles as the voice and face of Alan Wake, respectively. With this in mind, it seems like Alan Wake 2 will be the game fans have been hoping for, and with the game releasing in 2023, there’s still a long way to go before the game is fully released.