Alan Wake 2 Dev on Going up Against Spider-Man 2 Launch in October – “We Don’t Think About It”

The second half of 2023 is looking just as packed with major new releases as the first half has been, and October in particular is looking like a crowded month. From Alan Wake 2 and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 to Assassin’s Creed Mirage and (allegedly) Forza Motorsport, a number of heavy hitters are lined up to launch very close to each other in October- but amongst three franchises that have consistently been big sellers for years, how is Alan Wake 2 going to fare?

It’s a question that has been brought up frequently in recent days with these release dates becoming solidified. As a single player survival horror game coming from a developer that has often put out critically acclaimed titles that don’t see the kind of commercial success they should, is the competition that Alan Wake 2 is facing in October going to be too fierce, especially considering the fact that its predecessor didn’t sell particularly well when it originally launched?

Apparently, Remedy Entertainment isn’t too concerned about that. When asked about the game’s release timing in a recent interview with VGC, co-director Kyle Rowley acknowledge the packed release schedule for October, but said that it’s not something that Remedy is thinking about, and is instead focused purely on releasing a great game that players will enjoy.

“You know, we already knew that Assassin’s Creed Mirage was going to be in the fall, we knew that Sony had already said that Spider-Man 2 was going to be in the fall, so we kind of already knew that they would be around us,” he said. “We feel that we’re proud of the game that we built, and I think the people who resonate with that kind of game… whether they buy Alan Wake 2 or Spider-Man 2 isn’t really what we’re thinking about. We just want to put forward our game and present it to the players. You know, one is an adventure game, one is a horror game.”

Interestingly, Rowley went on to add that Alan Wake 2 being a digital-only release will also help alleviate some of its potential issues with an October release, since it won’t have to compete with other releases around it for retail space.

“In terms of retail space, for sure,” he said when asked about the same. “You know, no matter when you release a game, there could always be something else that’s coming out, right? You just can’t worry about it too much.”

During the interview, Alan Wake 2’s developers also discussed how character switching will work in the game, and how that will encourage multiple playthroughs.

Alan Wake 2 is due out on October 17 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.