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.
To celebrate 15 years of Poets of the Fall, we spoke to Director, Akseli Tuomivaara, about creating the Alan Wake-inspired music video, War. [Photo by Tiia Öhman].
Over the past eight years, I've had the pleasure of interviewing some amazing devs and actors inc. Cam Rogers, Kathy Tong, Fred Berman, Ilkka Villi, and Christopher Forsyth.
This week, Remedy shared high-quality versions of some of the Alan Wake 2 concept artwork we saw in the recent anniversary update!
Until now, the community relied on screenshots from the YouTube video, and while the quality options gave us a pretty decent option, it's always best to get the originals. There was one piece of artwork that didn't appear on Imgur, where the company uploaded the selection; that was artwork set in what looks to be a sewer and highlighting a potential threat, NPC or enemy.
Excitingly, we also got a glimpse of where the artwork is set by the descriptions on Remedy's Imgur listing. From the text, it looks like we are returning to the place where it all began...
The Epic Games Store MEGA Sale is here with some pretty exciting deals. Over 1,600 games have been reduced in the four-week sale (ending June 16th) with reductions up to 75% off.
If you haven't yet purchased the game, we recommend buying the Control Ultimate Edition, even if you're just focused on the main story and not looking at additional stories just yet. The difference between the base game and the full pack is £3, which is an incredible price for the extras you receive.
If you're looking to delve into Bright Falls ahead of the sequel next year, Alan Wake Remasteredis currently 33% off. If you own the original 2010 title, the price reduction is extended to 50% off if you want to check out the upgrade
You can see the full Epic Games Store MEGA Sale, HERE!
This month has been packed with new Alan Wake updates coinciding with the twelevth anniversary of the game. Alongside an interview with Sam Lake (Creative Director at Remedy), Matthew Porretta (voice of Alan Wake), and Ilkka Villi (physical actor for Alan Wake), we also received updates on the TV show, the highly anticipated sequel and new platforms for Remastered!
We've also seen a wave of new artwork by talented artists within the community celebrating the milestone and the announcements in a range of amazing styles. Below are a selection of those that we've discovered on social media, but if you have a piece that we missed, definitely let us know! We would love to see it.
When they release anything #AlanWake related my heart sings 😍 & my drive to keep creating intensifies! It’s always a huge thank you to everyone at @remedygames. You guys have no idea how much it all means to me, still 12 years later. https://t.co/CKcddxgKOypic.twitter.com/BtwmXihOgF
It's been a busy month so far, but things are not slowing down. Last week, Remedy published their Business Review for Q1 2022, focusing on company developments spanning from January to March. In the new report, the studio talk about the progress made on Alan Wake 2, and on their currently-codenamed titles; Heron, Condor, and Vanguard.
As always, we've taken some notes based on what has been discussed, but if you want to see the original documentation, you can check out the report on the Investor website. Alongside the review, the studio also held a webcast with senior staff which you can watch below:
Achievements
CrossfireX was released on February 10th 2022 on Xbox One and Series S|X. The game was published by Smilegate in collaboration with Microsoft.
Progress was made on the studio's subsidiary in Sweden as Remedy formalized its place in the country. The company there has been focusing on the Vanguard project.
[After Q1 2022] Remedy announced a new partnership with Rockstar which would see the original Max Payne developers work on a remaster of Max Payne 1&2. In his statement, Tero Virtala (CEO at Remedy) described that the "public reception to this announcement was overwhelmingly positive. Max Payne clearly has a special place in the hearts of not only Remedians but gamers across the globe. We are very excited to bring the remade game for old and new fans alike."
[After Q1 2022] On May 4th, the studio moved its listing from Nasdaq First North Growth Market Finland to Nasdaq Helsinki. On the topic, Virtala expanded on the move, stating that "in our view, a listing on the official list will increase Remedy’s brand awareness, improve the liquidity of shares, and help us to broaden our shareholder base."
Internal Developments
Revenue grew year-on-year due to development fees.
No royalty revenue from Alan Wake Remastered during Q1 2022, as Epic Games Publishing is still recouping development and marketing expenses for the game.
Game royalties consisted mainly of Control sales, although there was an expected decline.
State of the Studio
A dedicated team at the studio have continued to support both Crossfire HD and CrossfireX.
Alan Wake 2 is in the full production stage, with sections of the game taking a more complete form. The game is still set to be launched in 2023.
Vanguard (codename) is currently in the proof-of-concept stage and will be co-published with Tencent. The project is currently being worked on across both Finnish and Swedish studios and is planned to be a free-to-play co-op experience.
Condor (codename) is currently in the proof-of-concept stage. The game is the smaller of two Control games being developed at the moment, Condor will be a spin-off title.
Heron (codename) is in the concept stage with the team focusing on prototyping. It is the second of the two Control games currently in development.
The number of personnel at the studio at the end of Q1 was 301.
Recap / 2021-2025 Studio Goals
While many industries financially struggled throughout the pandemic, the gaming industry was one of the few that accidentally thrived, with more people seeking escapism in digital worlds.
While the previous few years have been dedicated to strengthening its position as a multi-project developer, the Board has established the key stepping stones that would define success internally going ahead. These goals include:
To create several successful games, with the goal of at least one major hit.
To own at least three expanding game brands with "long-term hit potential". (The number seems to be a newly public addition compared to previous reports.)
Strengthening the studio's position to select the ideal distribution for each project (e.g. self-financing, self-publishing, and working with partners).
Strengthening Remedy's status and value within Europe. (In Q3 2021, Remedy announced the launch of a new Sweden subsidiary.)
Maintaining a profitable and growing studio with "well-managed risks".
On the future of the studio, Virtala stated, "Overall, the year 2022 has started off well for us. We are all focused now on executing the projects in the current games pipeline. As we have stated in our long-term business prospects, we expect to have major game launches between 2023 and 2025 that will broaden the revenue streams over the coming years. Recruitment proceeds well and brings us great new talent. Ensuring that teams have the resources and support needed to reach their full potential is of utmost importance to us. Together with our great partners, we are committed to delivering on a pipeline of promising games lined up for years to come."
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