Remedy Entertainment’s Alan Wake 2 had a short gameplay reveal at the Summer Games Fest Showcase, but many outlets went hands-on and were left impressed. While it may be releasing in the middle of some serious heavyweights like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, expectations are high for the long-awaited sequel.
However, one contentious point remains – the survival horror title is digital-only. Remedy gave several reasons, from keeping the price down to not wanting to release physical version and having it require a download. Creative director Sam Lake expanded on the studio’s reasoning when speaking to Eurogamer.
“Yeah, it is digital only, and kind of coming to this idea, both from Remedy and Epic’s perspective, that’s our current thinking. It just felt like it makes sense for this, and the timing felt right.”
Game director Kyle Rowley also revealed that it allowed more time for polish. “As creatives, going digital-only does allow us more time to polish the game. Like, a significant amount of weeks, actually. Because otherwise, the game that goes on the disc obviously has to be playable without a patch.
“We didn’t want to release something that we weren’t proud of, basically, and we didn’t want players to play. So hopefully, this way, we can give you a better version of the game.”
THQ Nordic, which released the physical version on PC, has expressed interest in releasing the sequel physically. However, so far, neither Remedy nor Epic Games have acquiesced. Plans could always change, so stay tuned for any updates.
Alan Wake 2 launches October 17th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC. Head here for more details on the dual protagonists and how you can switch back and forth throughout the story. You can also learn more about Remedy’s stylistic choices, including inspiration from modern horror films, here.