Summary
- Alan Wake 2, despite strong sales and critical acclaim, has not yet generated a profit since its release.
- Remedy Entertainment is eagerly awaiting the game to break even and start making royalties.
- The recent releases of Alan Wake 2's Lake House DLC and physical copies may help recoup the rest of its development costs.
Alan Wake 2, one of Remedy Entertainment's best-rated games, still hasn't generated a profit over its development costs a year after launch. The sequel to 2010's Alan Wake, Alan Wake 2 is a survival horror game which was released on October 27, 2023, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Last year, Alan Wake 2 came out to a highly positive reception and commanded strong sales for developer Remedy. Besides getting rave reviews, it sold a million copies by the end of 2023, eventually becoming the Max Payne creator's best-selling game ever after adding another 300,000 copies during February 2024. On top of all this, Remedy's horror title earned the studio a slew of awards and nominations, including multiple wins at The Game Awards 2023. However, despite a trailblazing run, Alan Wake 2 hadn't yet recouped its costs when the Finnish developer shared its financial report in April, and it appears that status hasn't changed even now.
Alan Wake 2’s Cut Content Explained
Alan Wake 2 didn't make it through development without a significant number of content cut and changed, even though it may have been for the best.
Alan Wake 2 is yet to break even and post a profit, as per Remedy Entertainment's latest earnings report. CEO Tero Virtala revealed that the studio is still waiting for the game to "start generating royalties," as this source of revenue was mainly driven by Control and older Alan Wake titles in Q2 FY25. The announcement further mentions that Alan Wake 2 had "recouped most of its development and marketing expenses" by September, right before its second and final DLC called The Lake House dropped.
Alan Wake 2 Is Not Yet Profitable for Remedy, But That May Change Soon
Apart from Alan Wake 2's other achievements, a much-awaited milestone that would particularly be favorable for Remedy Entertainment right now is the horror game finally breaking even. It's been a long journey so far waiting for the Sam Lake-directed game to become profitable, and fortunately, it looks like the wait is going to be over soon. The latest earnings report captures the finances done till September, the end of the second quarter, which happens to precede one of the most important months for Remedy this year. In October, the studio not only launched the Lake House DLC but also shipped Alan Wake 2's first batch of physical copies on consoles. There are good chances that the little margin left for the game to recoup its costs and start profiting would be met, thanks to the boost received from these two releases.
Meanwhile, Remedy Entertainment is working on multiple different projects, belonging to a couple of its coveted IPs, namely Max Payne and Control. Apparently, the furthest along in the pipeline is the Max Payne 1&2 remake, which the developer's report describes to be "making steady progress" in the full production stage. On the flipside, the studio said that Control 2 has "progressed well," with the goal to enter full production in 2025.
Alan Wake 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 89 /100 Critics Rec: 93%
- Released
- October 27, 2023
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Remedy Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Epic Games
- Engine
- Northlight Engine
- Franchise
- Alan Wake
WHERE TO PLAY
A string of ritualistic murders threatens Bright Falls, a small-town community surrounded by Pacific Northwest wilderness. Saga Anderson, an accomplished FBI agent with a reputation for solving impossible cases arrives to investigate the murders. Anderson’s case spirals into a nightmare when she discovers pages of a horror story that starts to come true around her.
Alan Wake, a lost writer trapped in a nightmare beyond our world, writes a dark story in an attempt to shape the reality around him and escape his prison. With a dark horror hunting him, Wake is trying to retain his sanity and beat the devil at his own game.
Anderson and Wake are two heroes on two desperate journeys in two separate realities, connected at heart in ways neither of them can understand: reflecting each other, echoing each other, and affecting the worlds around them.
Fueled by the horror story, supernatural darkness invades Bright Falls, corrupting the locals and threatening the loved ones of both Anderson and Wake. Light is their weapon—and their safe haven — against the darkness they face. Trapped in a sinister horror story where there are only victims and monsters, can they break out to be the heroes they need to be?
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- How Long To Beat
- 17 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
