In our latest Community Spotlight, we look at Yasmin's incredible in-depth work exploring one of Alan Wake 2's most mysterious characters, Freya Anderson. .
Before we settle into 2025, let's take a quick look back into the past twelve months, revisiting the milestones and events that took place at the studio and in the community.
We recently spoke Tiia Öhman about working as a photographer on the Alan Wake 2 set. Her stunning work can be seen in-game, in marketing, and on merchandise.
To celebrate the game's 10th anniversary, we sat down with Matthew Porretta, the incredible voice actor behind Alan Wake, to talk about his experiences and memories.
Back in December, Remedy hosted a fan art competition following the reveal of CONTROL Resonant at The Game Awards. Hosted on their official Discord server, the challenge received over 140 incredible entries. Ahead of the weekend, the developers announced the six winners of the challenge: three selected by community votes, and three selected by the studio.
The challenge tasked players with creating CONTROL Resonant fan art in any style or medium they chose. While described as a "fan art" competition, the studio revealed that submissions could include images, videos, or written work to explore the different levels of artistry in the community. The challenge ran over the holidays and concluded in mid-January.
Prizes centred on rare game merchandise, including the highly-prized The Art and Making of Control book, published by Future Press in 2020.
The chosen pieces centred on a range of imagery and topics from the repeated patterns shown in the reveal trailer to explorations of the siblings' relationship. Designs ranged from potential comic book covers to dramatic posters.
Check out the winning submissions on the Control website, HERE.
If you can't wait until the release of CONTROL Resonant, Remedy has published a new teaser revealing the books and shows that influenced the team during its development. If you're looking for your next watch, or your next read, you may want to check out some of these titles!
Some of the inspirations have carried over from the original Control adventure, such as the New Weird genre, including The Southern Reach series by Jeff VanderMeer. However, there's also plenty of new titles for you to explore.
For CONTROL Resonant, the list includes The X-Files, Fringe (also featuring Lance Reddick!), The Twilight Zone, and Neon Genesis Evangelion, alongside Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. As with Alan Wake, Twin Peaks and House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski also made the list. Another clear inspiration, though not mentioned by name in the teaser, is Inception, which was also listed as a contributing influence on their 2016 adventure, Quantum Break.
If you're looking to do some pre-release investigations, let us know on social media what you're reading or watching! Our plan involves Roadside Picnic, which I actually bought back in October 2022, and just never got around to reading. It's now at the top of the TBR list.
CONTROL Resonant is the sequel to Remedy's 2019 adventure, Control. It is set to launch later this year on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (via Steam and the Epic Games Store), and Mac (via Steam and the App Store).
At yesterday's PlayStation State of Play showcase, Remedy gave viewers the first glimpse of gameplay for their highly anticipated sequel to Control, CONTROL Resonant. After going live, the teaser was neatly paired with a new PlayStation Blog article by Sergey Mohov (Lead Gameplay Designer), which expands on the footage shown.
Let's start from the top! The three-minute gameplay snippet, narrated by Creative Director Mikael Kasurinen, is taken from an early mission in the game and showcases one of the first skills and encounters. In the segment, Dylan is tasked with investigating a potential Resonant following distress calls from the nearby Theater.
To help set the scene, we are introduced to a new character, Zoe De Vera, an FBC Field Agent and Dylan's mysterious handler, who communicates remotely as he ventures out into the twisted streets of Manhattan. She is there to offer guidance and advice, though there's more to her; in his article, Sergey hints that "her relationship with Dylan is an important part of the story, pushing him to confront who he is, what he’s capable of, and what it means to hold onto his humanity in the middle of a supernatural crisis."
To get to the Theatre and deal with Resonant, Dylan must cross the West Incursion Zone. A journey that is no easy feat, combining a twisted landscape with brutal enemies on the prowl. Unfortunately for them, Dylan is backed by the Aberant and a set of supernatural abilities... and some things to work out.
Brutalism doesn't just stay with The Oldest House, but carries through to the game's melee combat (Eyy, see what we did there. Yeah, a bit of a stretch.) With close-quarter fighting at the heart of the gameplay, things can get intense and more than a little hairy. To help out, the Aberrant can transform into multiple tools, including Hammer, Blades, Scythe, and Fists, as shown in the gameplay footage.
We've also learnt about two new Dylan's abilities: Reach and Shift. Reach, described in the article, allows him to "navigate spaces that no longer obey regular rules of physics". Whereas Shift was given centre stage in the gameplay teaser, showing how Dylan can now quickly adjust to sudden landscape changes. Both are essential skills when faced with Gravity Anomalies, areas where "gravity and orientation shift entirely".
At the end of the gameplay clip, we get our first look at one of the game's Resonants, the creatures that give the game its name. These bosses are the shells of powerful people, "corrupted and twisted by the same mysterious force threatening reality itself." Feeling weirdly topical there. While dangerous, each defeat grants Dylan a new combat ability.
If you haven't yet, make sure to check out the gameplay teaser below, and read Sergey's full article, HERE!
CONTROL Resonant – Official Gameplay Reveal | State of Play
(In-Game) Dylan: Zoe, I see the spotlights.
(In-Game) Zoe: Then you're getting closer. Listen, Dylan, we're getting distress calls from the theatre. But Research thinks we might have a Resonant on our hands. No one should have survived that.
(In-Game) Dylan: Then I'll hurry.
Mikael Kasurinen: Hello, everyone. I'm Mikael Kasurinen, and I'm the Creative Director of CONTROL: Resonant, the game-changing sequel to CONTROL. What you are seeing here is an early mission, captured from our in-development build. We play as Dylan Faden, our supernaturally gifted hero, in a version of Manhattan like you haven't seen before.
We recently acquired Shift, an ability that empowers Dylan to seamlessly move through gravity anomalies and adapt to the world around him. Here we are showcasing a set of different forms of Dylan's main weapon, the Aberrant, can take, and his supernatural abilities. There are a lot of different ones you can discover to suit your playstyle.
While in combat, we encourage you to play aggressively, balancing between melee attacks and abilities.
(In-Game) Dylan: Any updates for me?
(In-Game) Zoe: Uh, kind of. You'll know it when you hear it. Just try to stay alive out there, okay?
(In-Game) Dylan: Almost there, Zoe... What the hell is that thing?
(In-Game) Dylan: I think I hear something. I know where the Resonant is, Zoe. I'll call you back.
Mikael Kasurinen: Resonants are the dominant threat in what's our most ambitious game to date, and we can't wait to share it with you later in 2026.
Remedy Entertainment Unveils New Gameplay Details on the Supernatural Action in CONTROL Resonant
Exploration, Abilities, Combat Progression and Boss Clashes Revealed for the Upcoming Sci-Fi Thriller
(Espoo, Finland – February 12, 2026) – Today at the PlayStation State of Play, Remedy Entertainment unveiled new gameplay details and features for CONTROL Resonant, the highly-anticipated sequel to Remedy’s critically acclaimed, multi-award-winning CONTROL. The first full gameplay footage running on PlayStation®5 Pro Console offers a glimpse of the main character Dylan Faden in action as he hunts a powerful Resonant enemy within the shifting landscape of the West Incursion Zone in Manhattan, reshaped by otherworldly forces actively breaking reality apart.
CONTROL Resonant will be published by Remedy Entertainment. Annapurna Pictures are co-financing and co-producing the game as part of a strategic partnership with Remedy Entertainment. CONTROL Resonant is scheduled to be released in 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, and Mac via Steam and the App Store.
The new gameplay video reveals CONTROL Resonant’s twisted version of Manhattan, with gameplay built around large, distinct, and expansive zones filled with side activities, hidden encounters, and optional discoveries. As the world around him grows more twisted, Dylan’s supernatural abilities allow him to navigate spaces that no longer obey regular rules of physics, such as within areas known as Gravity Anomalies, where gravity and orientation shift entirely.
Throughout the game, Dylan wields the Aberrant, an otherworldly, shapeshifting melee weapon, that can transform into multiple forms, giving players a versatile toolkit to define their approach to combat. Players will constantly expand their toolkit by unlocking new forms of the Aberrant, supernatural abilities, and talents.
Dylan must wield the Aberrant to help battle the game’s most powerful boss enemies, known as Resonants. Resonants are remnants of powerful individuals, now corrupted and twisted by the same mysterious force threatening reality itself. Defeating these dangerous enemies allows Dylan to expand his supernatural arsenal, with their defeat unlocking brand-new combat abilities.
For a full rundown on the gameplay footage, please read the post on the PlayStation blog from Sergey Mohov, Lead Gameplay Designer at Remedy Entertainment.
ABOUT CONTROL Resonant
In CONTROL Resonant, players will explore multiple areas of Manhattan in an expansive, unfamiliar world as an invading cosmic force reshapes the environment, defiles natural law and distorts gravity, reordering reality into a geophysical nightmare. Players will traverse perception-bending locations and journey beyond the material world into a mysterious metaphysical space reflecting Dylan Faden’s troubled psyche. Tap into power that Dylan must learn to master and make choices to shape abilities that manifest and grow while exploring a deep progression system. Face ever-changing threats head-on, utilizing the environment, unleashing elemental abilities and wielding the raw force Dylan’s shapeshifting melee weapon, the Aberrant.
The latest assets for CONTROL Resonant can be found here.
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Remedy Entertainment Plc is a pioneering, globally renowned video game company founded in 1995 and headquartered in Finland with an office in Stockholm, Sweden. Known for its story-driven and visually stunning action games, Remedy has created multiple successful, critically acclaimed franchises such as Control, Alan Wake and Max Payne. Remedy also develops its own Northlight® game engine and tools technology that powers its games. Remedy’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki’s main list. www.remedygames.com
