Recently, rumors have been floating around about Alan Wake 2 being in development (due to a LinkedIn post of someone who apparently worked on it). As a big fan of the fictional fiction writer and his otherworldly adventures, I was more than a little excited to hear about the potential future the Remedy game has for franchise development. Today, Joystiq received a response regarding that rumor.
According to Remedy’s enigmatic reply, the project in development is neither Alan Wake 2 nor DLC, but they promise that more Alan Wake is coming and that it will give fans of the brand (such as myself) as well as newcomers something to sink their teeth into.
Looking over their letter, it’s clearly stated, “…this next Wake installment will not be Alan Wake 2.” Their wording, not mine. This certainly leaves some room for interpretation… for instance, they could mean that it’s not a sequel, or they could mean that the sequel will not be titled so crudely (maybe something like Alan Wake: Season 2 (so much more class, I know), Alan Wake’s Arrival (if you haven’t completed the final DLC, you wouldn’t know), or Alan Wake: A Subtitle Goes Here). If not a sequel, it might be a spinoff of sorts—a companion piece installment that takes place parallel to the events in the first game (or maybe after them…) or something along those lines.
Another guess is it might be something along the lines of a re-mastered re-release of the first game including all the DLC and running on an improved engine and sporting Remedy’s new facial capture tech. Alan Wake: The Complete First Season. Have it include all the DLC released (The Signal and The Writer) as well as some fancy new content and special features to entice fans to come back and play some more, the improved engine and facial animations to give the graphic buffs something to talk about, and end it with a confirmation that Alan Wake 2 is really, really coming.
According to Joystiq, Remedy states that we’re likely to see this in its entirety in fall 2011. With E3 right around the corner, it’s very likely that we’ll become better informed about this project during that event. Given that Microsoft has a publishing contract with Remedy for Alan Wake, I wouldn’t be surprised (but I’d be more than happy) if we see something regarding this project at the Microsoft press conference.
Whatever it is, I’m looking forward to seeing what Remedy has planned and will, no doubt, be picking this up once it becomes available. Alan Wake was an absolutely fantastic experience with some of the best writing in any entertainment medium; I don’t doubt the folks at Remedy’s abilities to deliver a truly groundbreaking experience.
