Remedy has come up with some “much better ideas” for the long-rumored sequel to their memorable psychological action thriller Alan Wake, but they’re not ready to commit to any of them just yet. That’s unlikely to change this year, as they focus on the release and post-launch support for their gorgeous time-manipulating third-person shooter Quantum Break, but it’s good to know the series is still very much on their minds.
Their latest project has had an enormously impressive showing so far, thanks to a cinematic presentation, dazzling effects and an innovative format that all originated in the quietly innovative Alan Wake. It’s fitting then, that Quantum Break started out as an early concept for Alan Wake 2.
Remedy creative director Sam Lake discussed the sequel’s numerous failed starts in a lecture held at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie in Paris that DualShockers was attending.
“We tried to create Alan Wake 2 right after Alan Wake, and obviously you need the right partner. You need the right funding. You need the right concept,” said Lake. “Alan Wake, in some ways, for Remedy is really valuable. It’s our own IP. We own Alan Wake. So maybe there’s also a bit of extra carefulness in making sure that all the elements are right for the success of a sequel. And it just didn’t seem like we were getting it started in the right way.
Shigeru Miyamoto’s “a bad game is bad forever” quote applies here, even if his words were aimed more toward the occasional need for delays. According to Lake, the sequel hasn’t come to be because the timing hasn’t been right.
“I think that it has been, in a way, fortunate, because, you know, we have been iterating the idea of what an Alan Wake sequel could be, and along the way there has been much better ideas that what the concept coming out of Alan Wake was for the sequel.”
Remedy’s earned my trust, and there’s enough exciting stuff on the way that I’m happy to wait while they figure it out. I thought this worth sharing because it says something about Remedy, both as a developer and as a caretaker of some of our favorite game franchises.
There’s no rush. Alan Wake 2 will happen when it happens, and I think we can trust they’ll know when our favorite author should step back into the light.
