In 78 days, Alan Wake 2 will be celebrating its one-year anniversary from its October 26, 2023, launch. It was a critical success, with an 89 on Metacritic, and is receiving post-launch support with two expansions. That said, according to Remedy, the game still hasn't made back its budget.

News of Alan Wake 2's lack of profitability comes by way of a recently released financial report detailing the first half of 2024. In it, Remedy noted the following via its CEO Tera Virtala:

Alan Wake 2 did not yet generate royalties.

That comment was followed up by a note that Alan Wake 2 has "recouped most of its development and marketing expenses." A figure of how close Alan Wake 2 is to becoming profitable was not included. The full financial report, including news and other updates, can be found here.

It's Been A Long Road For Alan Wake 2
The original Alan Wake debuted on the Xbox 360 back in 2010, and the road to a sequel was long. When Alan Wake 2 was finally revealed and subsequently set for launch, it was determined that the game would be digital-only. At the time, there were "no plans" for a physical release, with Remedy owing its digital-only launch to helping keep "the price of the game at $59.99 / €59.99 and the PC version at $49.99 / €49.99."

However, those plans immediately shifted several months after launch. That's because during Summer Game Fest, alongside the reveal of the Night Springs DLC, it was announced that Alan Wake 2 would indeed go physical. The Physical Deluxe Edition will launch later this year, and it will include both Alan Wake 2 and Alan Wake Remastered along with all the DLC. Additionally, a limited-edition physical collector's edition was also revealed.

It would appear the decision to release a physical edition is due in part to the lukewarm sales. Indeed, Remedy notes in the report that, "The Collector’s Edition has been keenly requested by our fan base and the Physical Deluxe Edition will help in giving the game added exposure."

That added exposure could go into finally getting the game to the profitability side, which would be a massive benefit to Remedy's future projects, including Control 2 and Max Payne 1 & 2 remakes.



Posted: Aug 15, 2024 10:40 pm
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: https://www.thegamer.com/remedys-alan-wake-2-still-hasnt-made-back-its-budget-game-development-costs/