Alan Wake 2 Still Hasn't Made Remedy Any Royalties, But Work Is Underway on Max Payne's PS5 Remakes

Love alan wake 2,love max payne and super adored Control( damn excited for sequel). Remedy is one of my favourite studio and it’s sucks to hear about this alan wake 2 new as im really enjoyed the game(not playing the dlc yet)

I am going Remedy catalogue to play Alan Wake 2 finally while taking everything in full. Control wasn't anything special and I only liked AWE expansion, so sequel has to prove itself first to me.

Max Payne 1&2 should be goooood.

Looooved Max Payne 1 when I played it a year or two ago. Still need to play 2.

Cool.alan wake 2 is a masterpiece.and max payne 1 and 2 remake is going to be good.but i want a remastered max payne 3 game.max payne 3 to me is one the best video games ever made.word up son

it doesn't help the game is not on Steam, considering the publisher is Epic, hence the exclusivity on their store.

for my gaming PC habits, I do prefer Steam as a platform, so I'm waiting and see what happens.

P.S.
I know this is a PlayStation news-blog and I own a PS5, still I was making some consideration.

I'd love to know how much it's sold and how much it would need to sell to sell a profit.

It's such a great game and this implies it was a failure - could be it sold great, but given the budget it needed to sell even better.

So far it's definitely one of my top games ever. Hope it finds a wider audience regardless!

They cut themselves out of a huge chunk of sales by declining to release a physical edition, going off of the rough estimate around 20 - 25% of purchases are still physical. Bonkers decision for a AAA title.

Good thing they finally came around on the whole physical edition thing. Can't wait to play the game in October.

Been waiting for a physical release - not too long now!

Was massively disappointed with Alan Wake 2. I went in expecting an improvement on the original game's formula but instead what I got was L.A. Noire lite for Saga's gameplay and boring trial and error environmental puzzles for Alan's gameplay.

@Scottyy I have absolutely no idea how anyone can say that about Control. It’s so so rare that a game manages to achieve top rate playability and production value with highly nuanced academic commentary on the modern world!

@UnlimitedSevens The 20-25% figure is taking all physical sales on a platform versus all digital sales on a platform (which includes digital only titles, dlc and longer exposure time due to sales and never ending "stock"). It's not a good figure to look to because Digital has an inherent advantage in exclusive releases.

edit: Seems the figure is based only on full games, but much of the rest still applies

The actual break down between physical copies and digital copies of the same game is much more competitive (it's closer to half on many games) , some games even sell more physically than digitally at launch. Thats the figure that people should be talking about.

I do think Remedy's reasoning shot themselves in the foot. I remember the debacle with Control about it not being possible to do a free next gen update and then when that update game out, guess what it was possible "accidentally" so they didn't convince this time around when announcing digital only. It was clearly an attempt to save money on printing costs, but they would have sold more copies by doing so. Would it have made the game profitable quicker? Who knows.

What I do remember is people getting upset when Square said the Tomb Raider reboot undersold at launch despite being the fastest selling game in the franchise and we later learned that it took an entire year to break even. And that was with 3.4m copies sold in 3 weeks.

@Alexface Remedy budgets are famously low for the quality of their games. Unfortunately, reports have been that the game did not sell well.

Gosh, who could have imagined that not publishing a semi-niche game physically might have impacted sales!

I would have bought a copy at launch if it were on disc. As it is...my interest level has waned to the point that I don't feel like spending $80 on the physical copy anymore. Too little too late.

@naruball Sony's recent financials has the following note on the 80% digital sales ratio

"10 Full game software digital download ratio is calculated by dividing PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®5 full game software units sold via digital transactions by total full game software units"

So the truth is somewhere in the middle. It is full games not dlc etc. However the ratio is derived from all full game sales and divided by the number of digital full game sales.

Some full games (or editions) are digital exclusive, and does include catalog titles, I.e. older games being discounted. It is not representative of like-for-like.

@dskatter I love this!

-If only there was a physical copy, I would have totally bought it!
-Good news, there is.
-Well, I don't want it anymore.

@LowDefAl I see. Thanks. The one I recall must have been about a specific game.

@LowDefAl

The 20-25% figure is taking all physical sales on a platform versus all digital sales on a platform (which includes digital only titles, dlc and longer exposure time due to sales and never ending "stock")

The actual break down between physical copies and digital copies of the same game is much more competitive (it's closer to half on many games) , some games even sell more physically than digitally at launch.

Only a small number of games on PS5 will be close to 50%, mostly first party games or big casual games.

You're also overlooking the fact that AWII has 3 platforms, PC is 100% Digital and Xbox is like 90% digital. PC is Remedys core format and Alan Wake was originally an xbox exusive that didn't release on PS for like a decade.

Remedy have even clarified in the past that Control was over 90% digital after it's first year(didn't release on steam for one year)

@naruball and I can certainly accept that some games will be like that, and we have limited information but physical is far from dead.

You know unless you only play on PC or Xbox.

@ChrisDeku All true, but the post I responded to and my own post were talking generally. Obviously some titles swing towards one or the other more but the general situation is always painted as digital dominating heavily when it simply isn't true in context. A gap is opening for sure, but figures often get taken way out of context without any note of the caveats of what those figures are.

PC/Xbox-first developers will always have a different outlook of course so I see no reason to argue with Remedy's data.

@LowDefAl I dunno I think for most people it’s dead. Capcom said they were at like 93% digital sales in a recent article right? I would have assumed RE and MH were games that got a good physical release.

@IamJT But again, Capcom's figures are lopsided by catalog titles in sales. What are the figures for copies of a game sold at launch?

Capcom's games are not selling 17% of copies physically at launch, it's a lot higher than that. people buying up old games is helping shift that ratio, along wth pc and xbox owners. It paints a picture that is factual for their accounting but does not represent launch period ratios. The only time a comparison is fair.

its such a shame when great games financially fail.

then we wonder why the industry just wants to play it safe

I have very conflicting thoughts on Alan Wake II and didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I’d hoped but whatever it takes to get a sequel to the brilliant Control, I’m all in. Remedy are a breath of fresh air.

Companies really should start rejecting working with Sweet Baby Inc. Pretty much 7 out of 10 games they're involved in always end with either commercial failure or with the closure of its game studio. Unless they work on an already huge popular IP like Spiderman or God of War, they do more bad than good.

Really makes me sick to hear an excellent dev like Remedy is struggling to make a profit with and excellent game like Alan Wake 2. When you've got trash live service games like Fortnite out here making a fortune selling dumba@# skins.

All I know is Alan Wake 2 is awesome and I'm looking forward to the next DLC and Control 2 (the first Control was phenomenal).

@BIG3 yeah. Control is just wow to me.

Looking forward to the remakes, maybe even an updated and franchise corrected Max for the first game (with an obligatory skin of the OG Max after your first playthrough)!
Alan Wake 2 will be with me soon, on disc! Yay!

@nessisonett please play the second!!!!!!!

@dskatter I am shooketh it didn't sell!!!1!

No Steam release is the issue for me. Once it's there I'll buy

Good. They deserve to suffer for trying to ***** their fans with the digital only *****. Wouldve bought the game day one but im not gonna get it until its on disc.
I hope the max payne remakes will be good. The second game is a timeless classic

These guys are one of the finest studios around these days. And considering how much I enjoy Control and that I’m currently playing Alan Wake 2, it’s painful to hear they haven’t made any royalties on it yet. More people need to play Alan Wake 2 and experience what makes it so good. It’s such a different experience from most games out there and such a well done game at that.

@trev666 it is a shame if you like this type of game. Like the senua games, you can’t blame people not buying something that they don’t enjoy playing.

I thought Alan wake was just ok so I’ll probably pick it up the sequel when it’s heavily discounted and when I have a 60 series gpu to run it properly 😁

@Totheteeth

Shooting is not satisfying, story lost its charm quick, Jesse is bland af, ending is weak af. Overall not a fun one and I just pushed myself to finish because of this "shared universe" thing. 3/5

@Pigrotto @Sequel I’m also haven’t bought it due to not being on steam.

It crazy that studios haven’t realized that not releasing on Steam is the dumbest decision you could ever do… It like only releasing on Xbox, and not PlayStation as well.

And tbh… Even if it come to Steam, I probably won’t buy it or play it (unless I get it for free like control). I don’t want Epic sloppy seconds.

Not sure if there is other game that I have waited for so impatiently as I am now waiting for Max Payne. I loved those back in the days on the PC and i want that again.

Unfortunately the industry has become like a snake eating its own tail. I would like to support Remedy, but I have so many games to play as it is and would be stupid to buy if for full price, especially when there was no physical release. It's almost like the industry need to crash in order to catch up with itself. A bit like society in general really.

I wrote this game off without a physical release. I might get it when the physical version releases in October, or I might wait a few more months for a price drop. I’ve waited long enough already, so a few more months won’t kill me. If they don’t support the fans who wanted a physical release at launch, why should we support them now? They’re giving us a physical release now but only because they realised they F’d up.

I decided to play Max Payne 1 for the first time ever a few weeks ago and despite it being a little rough around the edges by today's standards, it's still a really great game.

However, I am totally stuck on the second nightmare stage and it's driving me crazy. 😥

I have played Alan Wake 2, And both times I’ve played it in front of people that aren’t gamers or are just casual gamers, One said this game thinks it’s so artistic it’s up its own a double crooked letter, when really it’s just a mosh mosh of artistic crap, and the other one asked if I was high because this game is ridiculous.

@Malaise I agree, however I played through the second game and even got the platinum trophy. It looked great and all, but it just didn't really grab me. The reality switching was super annoying, and the dimension Alan was stuck in was just way too sick and messed up... There are still a bunch of scenes, locations, conversations and characters from the first game that I remember clearly to this day, but I can barely recall anything from the second one, even though I played it less than a year ago. The storytelling was also way better in the first game, both when we heard Alan's thoughts and when he was reading the manuscripts.

@naruball At launch? I’d have leaped at it.

Nearly a year after launch at more than regular retail price? Nah, imma wait for a discount or just skip it. OR I’ll see how things are around Black Friday. Maybe Best Buy will discount it.

Epic exclusivity and SBI involvement are two pretty strong doses of box office poison, or the video game equivalent.

Played most of their games, I dis enjoy Alan Wake 2 but for Alan himself. I did not enjoy Saga Anderson at all I found her to be annoying especially when it came to the mind palace (for example, if you took your time to read the case notes she became really impatient, huffed and tutted and also moaned if you got something wrong). A lot of other times the answer was right there but dismissed it until later which was a little jarring. It's just my opinion but I could see how others would like her. For me I purchased the game for Alan, Casey was amazing as well as the janitor from control. Can't wait for Max Payne

@IamJT sony q1 earnings showed full game sales are now 80% digital.

So a few issues:
1. Alan Wake being a decade old console exclusive release meaning a huge chunk of the audience won't care for a direct sequel.
2. Going the full survival horror route which hasn't really worked for any game in AAA that's not Resident Evil.
3. Gameplay just isn't very good imo despite enjoying the artistic choices, cutscenes and music. The game is slow, bosses suck, the mind palace is too limited.
4. Backtracking for the platinum sucks but this is a me problem lol.
5. A game you can watch on YouTube and have the full experience minus the bad part that is actually playing the game.

It is really weird that they made this when they had some of the best gameplay in Control and it's incredible movement. Night Springs was a step in the right direction. Leaning into the whackiness while also having less combat overall.

@breakneck oof so at launch they are doing 80% digital. My guess is pretty soon physical will be limited to steelbook editions for most releases, so if you want physical you pay extra.

@nessisonett Looking forward to El Paso, Elsewhere? Looks rad. https://youtu.be/mDZjDcTOSz8?si=Iz5Y5Cpv0yTqAMie

@LowDefAl

Yeah there is some overlap in the digital versus physical sales breakdowns that undercounts physical sales. I put a low-end estimate in my comment because I didn't want anyone to say I was inflating the numbers to make a point.

But to be honest even a 5 percent drop in sales is catastrophicly large. We are talking in the region of 20, 30, maybe even 40 or more percent here. Why did they do that.

First to clarify, I like Remedy as a company. It wasn't Remedy who did this, it was their publisher, Epic. They said it was a cost cutting measure. That was in fact a 100%, verifiable lie. It was a DRM measure probably meant to fight used game sales. I guess they undercounted how much they'd lose in sales at the end of the day, versus how much they'd gain in preventing used sales. Turned out to be a net negative for them it seems.

I do not appreciate companies doing this, but digital age and all that, ya gotta go with the punches. What I really don't like is a company lying about it, dressing it up as "cutting costs" for the consumer. They assume we are idiots.

I'll continue to not purchase any AAA game that doesn't release physically. I have nothing against people who are all about digital, but it's just not for me.

Crazy as hell like seriously no profit at all

Alan Wake 2 is phenomenal imo. It made me feel really uneasy while playing and honestly scared me most of the game. The only other game to do this was RE7 and the first Evil Within. There are a lot of amazing moments in Alan Wake 2. It’s the adult version of Luigi’s Mansion lol. Use your flashlight and delete enemies. Very fun game.

Just waiting for a lower priced sale, it's in my must try.

I saw the let's play of the game and it seems it looks like a worse version of resident evil 4, and the story is worse compared to the first game. I played the first game way back then on xbox 360 and I remembered the story is way more interesting compared to this sequels.

The first game reminds me of the horror movie "In the mouth of madness", about novels author that can change reality with his writing.

@IamJT where did you read the sales have been poor? all I've seen is reports that the game hasn't turned a profit. That's different from not selling well.
Last info I can find with specific numbers is 1.3m sold by Feb of this year - which in my eyes is pretty good. However obviously I don't know what the budget was and what its sales targets were...