Summary
- Alan Wake 2's recent Lake House DLC expands on the game's story as part of a well-received sequel released last year.
- Remedy Entertainment's upcoming co-op FPS, FBC: Firebreak, will be released in 2025 and aims to expand the Remedy Connected Universe.
- With a strong end to 2024, including the announcement of FBC: Firebreak and release of Alan Wake 2's Lake House DLC, Remedy Entertainment is back on the radar.
While Control's surprisingly positive reception certainly opened the door a bit more for the developer, Remedy Entertainment made quite a resurgence with the release of Alan Wake 2 last year. It seems Remedy's upward climb isn't over either, as Alan Wake 2's story continues this year with The Lake House, and the recent announcement of the developer's upcoming co-op first-person shooter FBC: Firebreak has the industry talking.
FBC: Firebreak won't launch until 2025, but its recent announcement and the release of Alan Wake 2's Lake House DLC prove Remedy Entertainment aims to close out 2024 with a bang. As such, fans of the developer and its interconnected universe have some big things to be excited about over the coming months.
Remedy Entertainment Is Closing Out 2024 Strong
Alan Wake 2's Lake House DLC Further Expands on the Critically Acclaimed Action-Adventure Title's Story
It has now been a full year since the release of Alan Wake 2, the long-awaited sequel to Remedy Entertainment's 2010 action-adventure title. Despite a wait that lasted over 13 years, Alan Wake 2 delivers an unforgettable survival horror experience that even earned it Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, and Best Art Design at the 2023 Game Awards, in addition to nominations for Game of the Year, Best Score and Music, Best Audio Design, Best Performance, and Best Action / Adventure Game. It was quite a surprise since the franchise had been kept in hiding for over a decade, but its arrival was nonetheless well-received, as its critical and public reception has evidently shown.
Fortunately, Alan Wake 2's story continued after its initial release with the launch of its Night Springs DLC in June, and now its second and final expansion, The Lake House, has officially arrived as of October 22. Night Springs features Rose Marigold, Shawn Ashmore, and Jesse Faden, each in their own stories on the "Night Springs" television show that resembles Alan Wake's "American Nightmare." The Lake House, on the other hand, further establishes the Remedy Connected Universe (which includes the developer's hit action-adventure title Control) while simultaneously expanding Alan Wake 2's story.
Players control FBC agent Estevez in Alan Wake 2's Lake House DLC and are sent to the Federal Bureau of Control-run Lake House on the other side of the chain link fence near Cauldron Lake to investigate a new horror.
FBC: Firebreak Is a Brand-New Co-Op First Person-Shooter by Remedy Entertainment
More recently announced is a brand-new IP for Remedy Entertainment, FBC: Firebreak, currently slated for a 2025 release. Set within the Federal Bureau of Control, Firebreak will partner with Remedy's previous games to even further expand the Remedy Connected Universe in the form of a three-player cooperative first-person shooter, a first for the developer. In FBC: Firebreak, players control various members of Firebreak, an elite unit of Bureau first responders who are tasked with uprooting "reality-warping anomalies" and "otherworldly monsters" that have been laying siege to the agency's headquarters for an entire year.
FBC: Firebreak will emphasize coordinated teamwork as players work together to bring an end to the raid on the FBC's headquarters, but not without plenty of help. Before heading out into the fray, players will have an opportunity to customize their Firebreaker’s Crisis Kit to ensure they are well-equipped with powerful weapons, tools, items, and "paranatural augments." They will also be given the opportunity to modify their suit, which has the potential to alter their playstyle. Of course, the best customization options will always be whatever synergizes well with the other players on the team.
In light of Alan Wake 2's Lake House expansion and the recent announcement of FBC: Firebreak, Remedy Entertainment has set itself up for a surprisingly strong end to 2024. Seemingly out of nowhere, Remedy has put itself back on the radar in the gaming industry for the time being, doing everything in its power to ensure gamers are mindful of it as 2024 comes to a close.
FBC: Firebreak
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 65 /100 Critics Rec: 25%
- Released
- June 17, 2025
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Violence, Blood
- Developer(s)
- Remedy Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Remedy Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
FBC: Firebreak is a cooperative first-person shooter set within a mysterious federal agency under assault by otherworldly forces. As a years-long siege on the agency’s headquarters reaches its boiling point, only Firebreak— the Bureau’s most versatile unit—has the gear and the guts to plunge into the building’s strangest crises, restore order, and blast their way back from the brink.
Paranatural Pandemonium
Dive into the Federal Bureau of Control’s (FBC) unpredictable and extradimensional headquarters during its darkest—and strangest—hours. As one of the FBC’s fearless first responders, you and your team are on call to confront everything from reality-warping anomalies to otherworldly monsters... No matter the odds. Will you contain the chaos or finally lose control?
Cooperative Chaos
Join forces with friends or strangers to tackle each mission as a well-oiled crew. Survival in this three-player cooperative FPS hinges on quick thinking and seamless teamwork as you scramble to tame raging paranatural crises across a variety of unexpected locations. Improve your odds by utilizing the tools and skills that make you unique or improvising with whatever’s on hand to support your crew.
Beyond Bullets
Before deploying, select your weapon and customize your Firebreaker’s Crisis Kit with specialized tools, grenades, support items, and paranatural augments... Then modify them to suit your strategy and change the way you play. Experiment with different loadouts to perfect your playstyle and synergize with your team, giving you the edge to succeed in every mission, no matter the difficulty.
The Federal Bureau of Control
Return to the strange and unexpected world of Control or venture in for the first time in this standalone, multiplayer experience. Discover the iconic and unfathomable headquarters of the FBC — the Oldest House — from an entirely new perspective as a team of volunteer first responders with nothing but gear and guts to bring the Bureau back from the brink.
- Engine
- Northlight Engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Number of Players
- 1-3
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- FPS
