Alan Wake 2, the survival horror title from Remedy Entertainment, was one of the biggest releases of 2023. The game has been praised for its tense atmosphere, innovative and thrilling narrative, and much more from fans and critics alike.
The title won several awards at the prestigious Game Awards 2023, including the awards for Best Narrative and Best Game Direction, showcasing its popularity and acclaim. It became the fastest-selling title ever from Remedy, but all still isn’t going well for the developer.
Alan Wake 2 Has Still Not Made Its Budget Back
Remedy Entertainment released its financial statement for the first quarter of 2024 on April 29 and revealed that although the sales of Alan Wake 2 have been going well with a “high average price,” the developer has not been able to make back the development and marketing costs.
According to the developer, the game has sold 1.3 million copies as of the beginning of February 2024 and, at the end of the first quarter, had “recouped a significant part of the development and marketing expenses.” This means that there is still money to be made to record any profits.
Remedy did record higher revenue compared to last year, as well as growth in royalties from other games, but Alan Wake 2 did not generate any revenue. This is bad news for the developer, as Alan Wake 2 is one of its most ambitious games ever, and the sales and the response clearly show that.
However, the major reason behind this is that the game was released only digitally for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via the Epic Games Store. The Epic exclusive release led to gamers on Steam possibly deciding not to buy from the Epic Store, and the lack of a physical release also bummed many.
Fans Have Suggestions for Remedy to Make the Money Back
Fans have said that the biggest problem that the developer is facing is due to the digital console release and the Epic Games Store exclusive release. It is understandable why the game was launched as an Epic exclusive, as Epic Games funded the project and was also the publisher, but it still does not make sense to release such a highly anticipated title exclusive to one PC platform.
Helldivers 2 is Ignoring 1 Piece of Meta Media that Remedy and Alan Wake 2 Capitalised on Months Ago
Players have said that as long as Steam is around, they will not be looking to get games from any other launcher. Several fans have also said that they would wait “however long it takes” but would never get the game digitally.
Maybe more people would buy Alan Wake 2 if you were willing to actually sell it to them.
Digital console exclusive and epic games store PC exclusive. Embarrassing watching the publisher flounder about like that. https://t.co/bDVql4vw1S
— Lance McDonald (@manfightdragon) April 30, 2024
One fan said that “people vastly overestimate” how much physical release “matters.” They added that they personally know a few people who did not get the game “due to the lack of a physical.”
Hearing that Alan Wake 2 is still hasn't made any profit isn't surprising, it's not on steam, doesn't have a physical release and on top of all that consulted with sweet baby Inc which won't be helping. That being said the games not perfect but is worth playing.
— GlennTooGrim (@GlennTooGrim) April 30, 2024
Another fan said that when they learned the game was going to be a digital-only release, they lost all interest. Players have said that if the game is released on Steam, they are ready to buy it, or they will wait until the game goes on sale.
What are your thoughts about this? Should Remedy bring Alan Wake 2 to Steam? Let us know in the comments.
