Alan Wake 2 is the last phase of full production

In the comment section of the new statement to investors, Virtala reveals that both Control 2 and Max Payne 1&2 Remake have moved to the proof-of-concept stage. In particular, the development team has worked on the world building and gameplay mechanics of Control 2, while the studio expects to grow the size of the team behind the Max Payne remake gradually towards the end of the year. It hopes that the remake will be at a “high quality to today’s consoles and PCs.”

Remedy will also continue development on Codename Condor, a co-operative multiplayer game set in the world of Control, as well as Codename Vanguard, a F2P co-operative game that has gained more momentum with new key hires. Codename Condor is a part of Remedy’s plans to “expand the Control brand.”

Meanwhile, in line with our prior report, Alan Wake 2 will be releasing this year. Remedy is focusing its efforts on its upcoming launch, with the game starting its “last major phase of full production.”

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Alan Wake 2 is playable from start to finish

The last we heard about Alan Wake 2 was in Remedy’s most recent financial results report in February. CEO Tero Virtala confirmed the game was in “full production”, would “soon have all content in place”, and “is playable from start to finish”. Remedy had said they would “go dark” to continue work on the game at the end of 2021, and it seems like Alan Wake 2 is still on track for a 2023 release date despite the lack of public updates.

Remedy’s other games currently in progress include Control 2, remasters of Max Payne and Max Payne 2, and a free-to-play, co-op PvE shooter codenamed Condor. None of these games have a release window more specific than “in the coming years.”

The developer is keen to move away from its legacy as the creator of the Max Payne franchise. Today’s logo change gets rid of the bullet in the letter R that represented the franchise and takes a more representative approach to their “whole portfolio of games, new and old.”

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Control 2 confirmed to be in development with 505 Games as co-publisher

The deal between Remedy Entertainment and 505 Games was confirmed in a press release. The piece explains how Control 2’s initial development budget is €50 million and that it will be built using Remedy’s proprietary Northlight engine and tools.

Control 2 will be targeting current-gen hardware including PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. 505 Games will publish Control 2 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, while Remedy will publish the game on PC.

Neither PS4 nor Xbox One are mentioned in the press release, which likely means that the game is being developed exclusively for current-gen systems. There is also no mention of a Nintendo Switch cloud version, despite the first game being available in that way.

Remedy Entertainment is also working on Alan Wake 2, though the developer canceled plans to show it off during the summer.

Get PSLS’ thoughts on Control in the review. Spoilers: Our reviewer wasn’t quite so impressed with the game when compared to our peers.

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The “previously released” games in Take-Two’s pipeline

One of those eight “new iterations of previously released titles” will be Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition on mobile, currently due to be released at some point before the end of March 2023. There are also the remakes of Max Payne and Max Payne 2 that will be sold as a bundle for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, although we’re not sure if these count as one or two new iterations. Take-Two Interactive did make it clear that this number of remakes, remasters, and ports doesn’t include sequels, so the rest are seemingly a mystery at the moment. However, they did briefly mention they are looking to bring select mobile titles to console and/or PC, which could mean the appearance of games like Farmville, Words With Friends, and Merge Dragons on PS4 or PS5.

With five or six “new iterations of previously released titles” still to be identified, fans are hoping that GTA 4 and Red Dead Redemption remasters are two of those games. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to be the case. While the latest report said the disappointing performance of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition on console and PC had put paid to those remasters for now, if they were to enter development then it won’t happen until after the eventual release of GTA 6. Meanwhile, rumors of a Bully remake continue to circulate despite no confirmation from Rockstar or Take-Two.

In other news, today’s The Division 2 update kicks off the Street Activation Apparel Event. Elsewhere, Take-Two has promised GTA 6 will set creative benchmarks for all entertainment

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Understanding Alan Wake 2’s story won’t require knowledge of the original

Shoots ongoing with our stellar cast of actors. We’ve written a ton of pages with @yourpalclay, more than ever, I think (this story is a monster). More to come still after a short summer break from this dark place called the writers’ room. #amwriting @remedygames @alanwake pic.twitter.com/mR51xtUkBe

— Sam Lake (@SamLakeRMD) July 8, 2022

Remedy has previously said that Alan Wake 2 won’t require prior knowledge of the series. However, it will “add to the backstory” of the original game. In response to the tweet above, writer Clay Murphy murphy joked that the “keytar method of writing” has helped in handling the sequel’s ambitious story.

The keytar method of writing has really been working out for @SamLakeRMD and I. Blazing fast. https://t.co/9ub6AEvcpI

— Clay Murphy (@yourpalclay) July 8, 2022

Unlike the original, Alan Wake 2 will be Remedy’s first attempt at a survival horror game. Remedy calls it a “deep, layered mystery” that gives the studio an opportunity to “truly connect the gameplay and the story.”

Alan Wake 2 doesn’t have a release date but it’s expected to release sometime in 2023 for the PS5 among other platforms. Plans for a summer showcase may have been cancelled but the game might make an appearance at later events like The Game Awards.

In other news, Hideo Kojima has threatened legal action against those who misidentified him as Shinzo Abe’s killer, and The Last of Us Part 1 remake dev has dismissed suggestions that the game’s a cash grab.

The post Alan Wake 2’s Story Is Apparently “a Monster” appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Alan Wake Remastered sales “started well”

Last November, Remedy said that Alan Wake Remastered sales “started well.” The developer was understandably looking solely at unit sales. Publishers don’t usually reveal how many copies a certain game has to sell to become profitable and there’s been no word on how many copies Alan Wake Remastered has sold. Nevertheless, the game has certainly drummed up interest for Alan Wake 2, but once again, it’s being published by Epic so Remedy is unlikely to see an immediate spike in revenue following launch.

“Game royalties consisted mostly of Control sales, which declined year-on-year in line with our expectations,” Remedy wrote. “We had no royalty revenue from Alan Wake Remastered during the first quarter as Epic Games Publishing has yet to recoup its development and marketing expenses for the game.”

As far as the sequel is concerned, Remedy has postponed plans to showcase the game but has reassured investors that production is in full swing. “A lot of work remains, but the game is starting to take a more complete form in many areas,” the report reads. “As communicated earlier, Alan Wake 2 will be released in 2023.”

In other news, Elden Ring finally unseated Call of Duty to become the best-selling game in the United States over the last twelve months (and it sold most copies on PS5 and PS4), and rumor has it that the next PlayStation event is scheduled for the first week of June.

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No Alan Wake 2 info is coming this summer

Remedy Creative Director Sam Lake, Alan Wake actor Ilkka Villi, and Alan Wake voice actor Matthew Poretta hosted an anniversary update stream celebrating the series. They spoke briefly about Alan Wake 2 and explained that development was going well and that a big chunk of it is already playable. However, the team decided they’d rather spend the time it would take to create a trailer or demo working on completing the game. Development has picked up speed, and Remedy wants to keep that momentum going. The bottom line is that the devs don’t want to shift into marketing mode until the time is appropriate.

Lake stated:

We want to make sure that we are creating the best possible experience, the best, first survival horror game for Remedy. We don’t want to pivot the team away from that focus to work on a demo right now.

This isn’t Remedy’s first attempt to make Alan Wake 2 a reality. While the studio wanted to move on to a sequel after Alan Wake was released, Microsoft wasn’t interested and instead encouraged them to try something new, which resulted in Quantum Break. The studio attempted to return to the idea around 2017, but it didn’t pan out. However, the success of Control led more people to discover Alan Wake, and the positive response to its remaster and Control’s AWE DLC signaled it was finally time to buckle down.

No release date has been announced for Alan Wake 2, but it sounds like we’ll be seeing it sooner rather than later.

In other news, Fall Guys is rumored to be going free-to-play, and a revised model of PS5 has been registered in Japan.

The post Alan Wake 2 Development Is Going Well but Remedy Has Canceled Plans To Show It off This Summer appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

What we know so far about the Max Payne and Max Payne 2 remakes

According to an investors press release, Remedy and Rockstar have entered into a partnership where Rockstar will handle the funding while Remedy will handle the game’s development. Rockstar founder Sam Houser is excited to see what these two companies can do with these upcoming remakes:

We were thrilled when our long-time friends at Remedy approached us about remaking the original Max Payne games. We are massive fans of the work the Remedy team has created over the years and we can’t wait to play these new versions.

Both remakes will be made using Remedy Entertainment’s in-house Northlight engine which saw its use for both Control and Quantum Break.

It is still unclear to what extent Remedy will be revamping the Max Payne games, though the choice of words makes it seem as though it is not simply a graphical remastering but a gameplay overhaul of some sort.

Moreover, Remedy CEO Tero Virtala said in the press release that he wants to “bring the story, action and atmosphere of the original Max Payne games back to players in new ways.” Given that the size of the budget would seem to be on par with other AAA titles, this project is leaning in the direction of a full remake for both Max Payne titles.

In other news, former Call of Duty developers seem to be creating a studio which they want to be acquired by Sony, and the director for Days Gone has joined Crystal Dynamics for an undisclosed project.

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As part of the agreement, Tencent will foot the bill for localizing and publishing the game in Asia whereas Remedy will do the same for the rest of the world. Both Remedy and Tencent will cover the costs of running Vanguard in their respective regions, but will share revenue via an undisclosed scheme that has already been agreed upon.

In a press release, Remedy CEO Tero Virtala said:

Vanguard marks Remedy’s first entry into Games-as-a-Service business model, executed by our top tier team of free-to-play experts. We are building something new and exciting for co-operative multiplayer space, on top of Remedy’s strengths. Expanding our capabilities to take on publishing responsibilities is the next step in the development of our company. We are excited for this long-term partnership with Tencent and with confidence can say that it is an excellent fit in supporting Vanguard’s ambitious plans. Vanguard is a global opportunity, and Tencent can support Remedy internationally, and lead the operations in Asia and the mobile markets.

Vanguard is currently in proof-of-concept phase. Remedy revealed that its development budget (up until the end of the first year of live operations) aligns with a typical Remedy AAA budget.

No further information about Vanguard is available at the moment.

The post Remedy’s Co-Op Multiplayer Game Codenamed Vanguard Will Be Supported and Co-Financed by Tencent appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

In the same tweet, Lake thanked fans for their enthusiasm, and announced that Remedy will now “go dark” to finish Alan Wake 2‘s production.

Thank you for being as excited about Alan Wake 2 as we are . A couple of easy clarifications before we go dark to continue the work. Yes, this is a 3rd person game. Yes, both Ilkka Villi and Matthew Porretta return in the role of Alan Wake. #AlanWake @alanwake @remedygames pic.twitter.com/8UvzXGgKdE

— Sam Lake (@SamLakeRMD) December 14, 2021

Following the announcement of Alan Wake 2, Remedy revealed that the series will pivot from an action game to a survival horror game. While the first game had horror elements in it, the studio wanted a “true horror” experience based on its own take on survival horror. Remedy also said that the upcoming title will offer a “deep, layered mystery” and will provide the developers an opportunity to “truly connect the gameplay and the story.”

Alan Wake 2 will release in 2023.

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