There’s certainly room for such titles – see Helldivers 2 – but there are also risks, as illustrated by the underwhelming performance of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Remedy’s communications director, Thomas Puha, discussed this on Twitter, noting, “We are well aware of how challenging the coop multiplayer space is.

“I’d like to think we have realistic expectations (outside the company expectations always seem wild), but also be realistic that you never can plan and prepare for everything, just gotta roll with the punches. To be honest, every published game seems a small miracle these days.” He also acknowledges a user who believes it can be a good learning experience, even if it’s not a massive hit.

Condor is a spin-off of Control and focuses on the Federal Bureau of Control recapturing the Oldest House, their headquarters from the Hiss. It’s developed on Remedy’s Northlight engine for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC, with plans to enter full production this year. Stay tuned for more updates in the meantime.

They tell me I'm cynical and I am LOL, we are well aware of how challenging the coop multiplayer space is. I'd like to think we have realistic expectations (outside the company expectations always seem to be wild), but also be realistic that you never can plan and prepare for…

— Thomas Puha (@RiotRMD) March 26, 2024

Yes indeed, good way to look at it.

— Thomas Puha (@RiotRMD) March 26, 2024

Condor has been described by Remedy as its “first step towards service-based games”. The title is set to enter full production this year, will be built on Remedy’s own Northlight engine, and will be coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Condor will also not be free-to-play, and will instead have a “service-based fixed price” release. This means that the game will feature a lower price point, but will also include game expansions, and potentially even microtransactions.

The studio has revealed a few more details about Condor, including its setting and theme. Based on Remedy’s description, it looks like the game will largely take place in the Oldest House—the primary setting for Control. Players will work on taking back control of the Oldest House from the Hiss.

All things considered, the game will also likely have players taking on the roles of various employees at the Federal Bureau of Control, taking orders from various characters from Control.

The €17 million purchase price is the amount paid by the publisher for developing Control 2 and Condor (with a small premium). Remedy noted that the transaction would have “no immediate effect on the income statement” and present “attractive growth opportunities arising in the mid-to-long term.”

“This transaction will enable us to negotiate better deals for current and future Control games. We can now weigh up the options between self-publishing and a new publishing partner for Condor and Control 2. At the same time, we are in a better negotiating position than before, as Control is an established brand, and Alan Wake 2 has been successful.

“We are confident that these factors combined will enable us to get the right partner, deal structure and risk-reward profile that benefit Remedy and are the best fit for the Control franchise. We will evaluate and negotiate with potential future partners over the coming months. Through this transaction, we will be more directly in charge of marketing, distribution and other business-to-business deals.

“This enables further financing and partnership opportunities, which will help us to grow the Control 2 and Condor, as well as the whole Control franchise into an even greater success than before.”

Remedy CEO Tero Virtala said that the studio has “enjoyed a good partnership” with 505 Games in developing Control, which has sold over four million copies since launch. However, the acquisition of the rights is part of a “long-term strategy to have more ownership over our business and the IPs we have created.”

“Having complete ownership over the Control franchise gives us the freedom to decide the best path forward. We will consider our options carefully, knowing that Control is considered an attractive franchise by many partners.” Development on Control 2 and Condor will continue normally and Virtala reiterated both titles will reach the next stages of development in the first half of this year, meaning sometime in the coming months.

“As we amicably part ways, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the 505 Games team for our partnership over the years and for helping to establish Control as a gaming franchise with a lot of future potential.”

Remedy’s next Financial Statements Bulletin will take place on March 20th, so stay tuned for further updates on its projects.

In its recent quarterly fiscal report, Remedy Entertainment CEO Tero Virtala provided updates on how development is progressing for both games, confirming that both are making good progress behind the scenes and are still currently in the proof-of-concept stage. So far, for Control 2, the development team’s focus has been on “world building and gameplay mechanics”, while for Condor, the team has ben focused on “developing the visual target of the game.”

“Control 2, which moved into the proof-of-concept stage in January, has progressed well,” Virtala said. “During the first quarter, the development team focused on world building and gameplay mechanics. In addition, we have been developing the visual target of the game. Codename Condor, a co-operative multiplayer game in the world of Control, has continued its steady progress in the proof-of-concept stage.”

Virtala went on to say that Remedy had “found new ways to use existing assets and locations from the world of the original Control“, and added, “Codename Condor, together with Control 2, will expand the Control brand, which will be one of Remedy’s cornerstones for years to come.”

In the report, Remedy also provided an update on the development of Max Payne 1 and 2 Remake– read more on that through here.

Codename Condor is a PvE multiplayer spin-off to Control, in development for PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S. It’s being developed on the Northlight Engine and will support four-player co-op. Its status remains unchanged from the Q1 2022 Business Review, however, and is currently still in the “proof-of-concept” stage.

“We are giving the team time to work on a multitude of important game design elements and finalize the key pillars before moving the project to the next development phase,” said Remedy CEO Tero Virtala.

Codename Heron, the “bigger budget” Control game, is also still in the concept stage. Virtala noted, “Based on the well-progressing early development, the team size has been gradually increased. We will keep the team moderate in size for now and provide the time needed to continue the concept and prototype work for the game, as well as to develop selected technologies and tools in collaboration with our Northlight team. ”

Finally, there’s Vanguard, a free-to-play co-op multiplayer title that’s being developed with Tencent. It uses Unreal Engine, is Remedy’s first live-service title, and remains in the “proof-of-concept’ phase. The development team also won’t expand until next year.

“Vanguard will be an expansive service-based F2P game with a rich world and selected new elements, making it a game that stands out from other multiplayer games. We want to make sure all these elements merge in the right way before we make final decisions on the plans for the next development phase in 2023. At the moment, many of the game’s designs are taking shape, and the team is busy prototyping and testing these.”

This lines up with the studio’s internal delay of the title to “design, prepare and test key elements” before assigning a larger team.

In the meantime, Alan Wake 2 is launching in 2023 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. It’s expected to appear at this year’s The Game Awards. Remedy is also working with Rockstar Games on Max Payne 1 and 2 Remake for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. This remains in the concept development stage with no confirmed release window.

“There is still a lot of work to be done, but the game is coming together on all fronts. User testing continues, and the feedback from the user research has been encouraging,” said CEO Tero Virtala. He noted, “After seeing how the elements are coming together, I’m confident we will launch an excellent game.”

Revenue was up by seven percent for the third quarter of the year, hitting EUR 7.9 million. Development fees made up 95 percent with Alan Wake 2 and Max Payne 1 and 2 Remake being “key positive contributors.” Royalties for Control, and development fees for Codename Condor (the multiplayer spin-off to Control) and Alan Wake Remastered, decreased.

Interestingly, along with Crossfire, Alan Wake Remastered didn’t generate royalties. In Q1 2022, this was due to Epic Games having yet to, “recoup its development and marketing expenses for the game.”

Alan Wake 2 is coming to Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. It’s touted as the “most beautiful Remedy game ever.” After missing the Summer Games Fest showcase, it could have a new reveal at The Game Awards 2022 on December 8th. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

The developer also revealed that, “Together with the Northlight-technology team, the focus has been on developing the required technology and tools that will serve a number of Remedy games in the future.”

As for other projects, the free-to-play co-op title Codename Vanguard, which Tencent is co-publishing, has made “good progress” since the previous quarter. It’s in the proof-of-concept stage  with Remedy continuing to “strengthen the team.” Codename Condor, a spin-off of Control, is also in the proof-of-concept stage.

In terms of upcoming games, Alan Wake 2 is still set to release in 2023 for PC (via the Epic Games Store), PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. No Summer update will be provided but creative lead Sam Lake has assured that development on the sequel is “going really well.” Alan Wake Remastered, which didn’t generate royalty revenue for the studio in Q1 2022, will be coming to the Nintendo Switch this Fall.