Recently we celebrated Summer Game Fest, a former-digital event that first began as a way for developers to continue sharing their work during the pandemic. While it was the fourth year of the event, it was the first time the show was broadcast live on stage with an audience. With Alan Wake 2 set to launch in October, Sam Lake (Creative Director and Lead Writer) took to the stage to talk to Geoff Keighley about what the studio has in store and to show the first look at raw gameplay footage.
Following the show, developers travelled to Play Days to take part in two days of demos, interviews and showcases. The event itself was invite-only, and the Alan Wake 2 booth was even more behind closed doors, with admittance by invite-only. While a limited few were able to attend, we got a glimpse of what was going on behind the scenes from the studio and developers.
Summer Game Fest 2023 / Tweets
Twitter became a valuable resource during this time, with many backstage photographs being posted there. The photographs below are from developers and journalists who saw the demo and who publically shared their tweets, using the #SummerGameFest or #AlanWake2 hashtags for those looking for a behind-the-scenes, human look.
Showtime, backstage @summergamefest with @RiotRMD. We are ready! Soon on stage with @geoffkeighley. Are you ready for ALAN WAKE 2 gameplay? @alanwake @remedygames @EpicPublishing #AlanWake2 #alanwake pic.twitter.com/2KXLs6aC48
— Sam Lake (@SamLakeRMD) June 8, 2023
Showtime in a few hours! #alanwake #SummerGameFest pic.twitter.com/EAsKOnRNuh
— Thomas Puha (@RiotRMD) June 8, 2023
It’s not over, it’s only beginning. We have a long gameplay demo of ALAN WAKE 2 to show at @summergamefest Play Days today and tomorrow. @alanwake @remedygames @EpicPublishing pic.twitter.com/RWM2BjCM1R
— Sam Lake (@SamLakeRMD) June 9, 2023
So happy with our amazing Alan Wake 2 dev team shirt. #AlanWake2 pic.twitter.com/5KL8SW5Pzn
— Thomas Puha (@RiotRMD) June 9, 2023
No doubt we got the best swag. #AlanWake2 pic.twitter.com/qNgdKxAyCQ
— Thomas Puha (@RiotRMD) June 9, 2023
This was home for two days. Had to bring in more seats and headsets as the demand for the presentation was high. Glad to see a good international attendance too. Thanks @iam8bit @summergamefest @EpicGames Tara Bruno PR team @reynosocass and everyone! #alanwake2 #alanwake pic.twitter.com/yTy5WFywsk
— Thomas Puha (@RiotRMD) June 12, 2023
Wow, Alan Wake II is all my hopes & dreams I wanted in this sequel. Just had a 30 min demo of the next classic from @remedygames. Big thanks to @SamLakeRMD & @RiotRMD for inviting me to see the deep immersive thrilled demo! October 17th on Xbox/PS/PC #AlanWake2 @alanwake pic.twitter.com/hk0qBxAoMx
— Aaron Greenberg ๐ ๐ผ♂️๐U (@aarongreenberg) June 10, 2023
Let’s go let’s go let’s go #alanwake #alanwake2 #SummerGameFest pic.twitter.com/2uabweWKwT
— Molly Maloney (@Llyann) June 9, 2023
Just saw roughly 45 minutes of Alan Wake 2. Imagine a Resident Evil detective game; slower paced, less focus on blasting armies of enemies - there’s even a ‘mind palace’ players can switch to at any time to piece together clues and profile enemies. Very Remedy and looking ace pic.twitter.com/vLjsdoZtXF
— Andy Robinson (@AndyPlaytonic) June 9, 2023
Joni the Rock Star shining ๐ again with the AW2 demos! Back in the day he shone as the amazing QA Lead on Control. https://t.co/pL2NzBGpo9
— ▼ Juha Vainio ▼ (@yuuhaw) June 11, 2023
Let’s go! @summergamefest Play Days day 2. Thank you for having us! Thank you for the positive comments! @alanwake @remedygames @EpicPublishing pic.twitter.com/V32MS23xJo
— Sam Lake (@SamLakeRMD) June 10, 2023
Thank you Los Angeles @summergamefest. The @remedygames crew had a great time showing Alan Wake 2 demo and talking about it. Thank you for all the positive comments. A needed boost to get the remaining work done. Now flying to New York for @Tribeca festival. @alanwake pic.twitter.com/fUO9BuGlJU
— Sam Lake (@SamLakeRMD) June 12, 2023
That’s a wrap on our first day of #alanwake II demos at #summergamefest … pic.twitter.com/XAJgNu2ZxY
— Nico (@nico_bihary) June 10, 2023
What an amazing time we had at #SummerGameFest! The reception to #AlanWake2 has been amazing, more than we could have ever imagined. Now we head back to Finland, where the amazing @remedygames team will work on finishing the game for you all to play. We will be back soon with… pic.twitter.com/Aicm4euOFA
— Kyle Rowley (@TimePirateNinja) June 13, 2023
Summer Game Fest 2023 / Instagram
In addition to Twitter, we also saw photographs posted on Instagram. As the platform tends to be more personal and less conversational, we've collected photos from the official channels.
Summer Game Fest 2023 / Reaction Artwork
With the first look at Alan Wake 2 gameplay, the community was... let's say, fairly excited to see what's in store for them in the autumn. Below is a selection of reactions and artwork from international fans as they tuned in to see the broadcast.
Personal @summergamefest highlight? @SamLakeRMD chatting with @geoffkeighley on stage plus #AlanWake2 gameplay. ๐ค❤️๐ pic.twitter.com/3Q9w6V5rPq
— David Blatt (@KOPF_STOFF) June 9, 2023
Did a quick drawing of Saga while watching #SummerGameFest . I think she is amazing ๐#AlanWake2 ❤️ pic.twitter.com/wdZ4NYHzYY
— Dilara รzden (@alternatecyborg) June 8, 2023
Waiting for an absolute masterpiece ๐๐ค #AlanWake2 pic.twitter.com/eBTG4Y1uj1
— ะัะพัะพัะธัะฐ C/Fe ะบัะปััััั๐ป (@Poreyneel) June 8, 2023
“You could probably lay off the similes, Wake.”
— whiskey (@scowlsnwhiskey) June 10, 2023
I thought about Mr. Scratch just sitting down and reading some of Alan’s writing#AlanWake #AlanWake2 pic.twitter.com/uqkTHnHdbI
