Duuro says: "Alan Wake 2 is undoubtably one of the finest narrative-driven experiences available on any platform currently. Remedy Entertainment has truly outdone themselves in crafting not just a great sequel, but a masterwork of storytelling, atmosphere and gameplay that will surely stand the test of time."
Choosing Epic over Steam and antagonizing the entire physical media fanbase, it's no wonder the masterpiece Alan Wake 2 didn't make a profit.
I asked for this game as a gift. My wife couldn't find it at Gamestop, Amazon, or anywhere else.
I didn't realize it was digital only, I just figured it sold out because of the reviews and how good it looks.
Most consumers don't read gaming news daily, how would they know it's digital only?
Plus, outside of seeing it on Jackfrags YouTube channel, I hadn't seen much in the way of marketing.
It's a really good game. I platted this one on the PS5. Well worth your time exploring this universe.
Unfortunately Remedy has become a bit of a nasty studio over this past decade, You just need to look at their business decisions and other projects they attempted. They are not pro consumer at all.
Yea, people are kind of dumb. I mean, no offense to @Jingsing up there, I know that’s blunt but it reminds me of Bayonetta 2 when that got announced and it was a Nintendo exclusive. It’s exclusive because f*cking Nintendo funded the development. But people were all like f*ck Sega for sh*tting on their fans when in actuality the game never would’ve gotten made if Nintendo didn’t straight up pay for the development.
Alan Wake 1 was not a massive seller. In fact, correct me if I’m wrong, but it underperformed and that’s why a proper sequel never got made until now where Epic literally paid for the game to be developed… but you got people saying, Remedy isn’t pro consumer because this game is Epic exclusive 🤦♂️
Will be interesting to see if they try the same thing for the Max Payne remake(s). You'd think they won't but people continue to surprise me.
I think they could do some kind of special edition physical release. This way the crowd that has been with this game since the beginning would have the option to buy a physical disk. They would sell more too.
@anast No, it needs a normal physical release.....not some bullshit 'special edition' physical release. This way we will be able to easily get a physical copy for if we want, instead of having to mission to own some kind of limited version. That's not actually gonna boost physical sales now is it?
I wonder if they've learned their lesson? Who am I kidding, of course no gaming company does at this point. Keep making those mistakes.
I'm a very patient man... I will wait and continue to wait for a physical version
I didn't even need to be patient, with how much games come out nowadays and my full time work, even clearing my backlog would take forever.
Another article trying to find someone or something to blame for a game failure except the obvious one.
the majority of gamers don't buy Survival horror games.
Nor do they commit easily to unknown IP.
There's a reason why Capcom always goes back to ACTION horror with Resident Evil, why TLOU2 part 2 is now listed as an action/Adventure game with horror Element instead of survival horror.
It's also why neither Sony nor Microsoft was willing to invest in Alan Wake despite Remedy's several attempts to have the project greenlighted!
Perhaps the author should ask how come these games failed since they were on Steam and disk:
Dead Space Remake
Evil Within series
Alien Isolation
Control
Doesn't matter to his point. All these games have sold below expectations, especially Dead Space Remake, which was a way for EA to see interest in the franchise.
And they still fail to turn a profit despite praise...
Ironically Remedy claimed in the investors' call that one of the good moves for Control was giving it for free on EPIC games.
I think the difference is survival horror games don’t sell all the copies and become Call of Duty level profitable, but that doesn’t mean they are unsuccessful. A game like Outlast shows a responsible level of budget will lead to great success, spending more in development doesn’t necessarily lead to more sales. Alien Isolation was excellent for example, but I do wonder if it had been 4 hours shorter and the money required to develop the incredibly overly drawn out ending saved from the budget, it’s profitability could have been much greater because I think it would’ve had the same or similar number of sales without it.
Not saying that they can't turn a profit as TLOU and Resident Evil 7 are proof of that.
Just saying that the genre must have an impact on the overall sales since the majority of them failed or were changed to Action instead of survival in the case of Resident Evil and TLOU.
But I totally agree with your Alien Isolation statement.
Maybe expectations are tonhigh. I looked up Alan wake 1 and it looks between 2 to 3 million sold. I'm not sure what all that's counting, steam only, 360 steam, Xbox series, ps5. Not really sure. Either way 2 to 3 million isn't bad
Alan Wake was a failure on Xbox (some ppl blame the fact that the game was released at the same time as RDR)
Remedy asked MS to go for Alan Wake 2 due to the praise for Alan Wake but MS rejected the Idea for a full sequel yet gave the OK to fund a smaller project that became Alan Wake's American Nightmare.
Remedy asked again for Alan Wake2 with the Xbox1 and it was again declined by MS who had no interest in a single-player game. Remedy then pitched the idea of Quantum Break with a TV show tie-in because MS wanted to go in the direction of tv shows.
The number of sales included the PC versions that were released at a cheap 20$ tag in 2012
https://www.ign.com/article...
As a longtime gamer who has transitioned from console to PC gaming, I understand the appeal of digital games. However, it's important to recognize that a significant portion of gamers still prefer physical copies. In fact, physical sales account for 25-30% of the market. Additionally, there are a lot of gamers like myself who won't make a purchase unless the game is available on platforms like Steam or GOG. This highlights a considerable market segment that should not be overlooked.
25-30% of the console market, not the overall market. I'd be highly surprised if the % is even close to that high for pc gaming.
Yes PC market is all digital. I was speaking for console gaming. I know even now if given the option I want go add physical games to my collection
In stores here they don't even sell physical copies for pc games anymore, or only on specific occassions.
Kind of sad, I miss it
Yeah, not one Epic exclusive, timed or not has convinced me to spend a cent on their store and lackluster launcher yet.
Which is pretty good considering a very high percentage of games aren't even available for physical purchase. So physical sales are gimped by default
EGS is the kiss of death, sweet exclusive money but then you notice your game is locked in a small shop while the biggest gaming market in the world is closed for you.
I really want this game to do well, but im not buying this game digitally. This game is special enough that i want a copy i can collect and preserve, and im not going to be played like a like an idiot to buy it twice, so im waiting, im patient.
I like remedy but this was a bs move on both fronts. No physical no buy. Seems most pc players don't like epic.
Same fate as World of Goo 2. Snarking about throwing other game services in the trash if you don’t use Epic Launcher was the same kind of anti-consumer move these guys pulled with AW2. Very annoying.
I read gaming news and watching channels on youtube but I only just learned this was digital only, what an absolute joke move by the publisher. It was on my backlog to play but there is zero chance I will pay for a digital version, i'll play it if it releases on PS+ for free. For sure im not the only sale they will have lost by this dumb decision.
Of course. People with common sense knew this would happen. Next time give your game a proper physical release.
Hmm no Steam and no physical port and you wonder why the game is not turning a profit. If there was a physical PS5 version I would have bought it. No physical version no sale in my books.
This is why exclusivity is not pro-consumer. It's greedy, corporate BS through and through. So many examples where exclusivity has backfired. This is just one of the most significant recent examples and unfortunately it'll affect future adaptations which otherwise could have been. F*** Epic... no matter how many free games they give away, I still can't stand their storefront because #1. their UI is trash and #2. what they're doing is bad for business and unsustainable all around.
Remedy has released its financial statement for the first quarter of 2024, and despite strong sales, Alan Wake 2 has yet to recoup its development costs.
Exactly.
With every article like this, I becomr more convinced that an announcement is inevitable. Hoping for something around the time of the game's 1-year anniversary.
I want to believe they are just hanging on to try and get the last drop out of the digital market but another part of me thinks it’s just spite at this point, not wanting to admit their business move was a f***** terrible decision
They made out it was because they wanted to offer it cheaper to us but me and others would have gladly paid the standard for physical. Even a collectors edition would have been nice to buy.
Absolutely. What would the harm have been? Offer the digital version at the lower price they want, and a "Collector's Edition" with some fairly naff additions for 50% more. I'd have gone for it without question.
Bringing it to Steam would definitely help too. Although I suspect getting a physical release is probably more likely, and even that doesn't look good.
Waiting on steam release otherwise no buy. And I would double dip to get physical for ps5 or XSX but remedy have to first admit there is a problem before a solution is made available
definitely waiting for steam version, I never buy a game on another storefront at all.. even gamepass games I'd just try for a bit then buy the steam version if I like it.
Not sure at this point a physical release makes sense. Would you even recoup enough lost money on the costs to get the game released physically. Mots who wanted to play the game did not sure you would sell enough copies to recoup the costs to get the game out physically.
Exclusive games.... The cancer of modern gaming. Only corporate friendly husks root for exclusive games as a model.
What were they expecting.. release digital only and make there money back, come on! they shot themselves in the foot alienating all the fans of physical media.. now the hype has gone down it will be difficult to shift copies now even if they do release disks. Only way of making extra $ release on ps plus
Blows my mind someone would pass on obtaining a game they wanted to play just so you can have the case and a game disc that is already out of date to the current live version. The boxes upon boxes and totes full of game and game related accs and hardware when I moved made me grateful for all the digital stuff I had.
Alan Wake 2 is also just not that good. Its the sequel to a good but not great game to begin with and the case board "gameplay" was terrible and there wasn't enough combat. Also the live action stuff looks really cheap and Sam Lake didn't need to put himself into alan wake 2 for no reason.
Lol. I imagine there's still alot of people that buy physicals. Or atleast see what kind of new games are out by what they see in real stores. This is on them. Idda paid 70 day one physical. Now I won't pay more then 15 for it
I'd imagine significantly more than 40% of PC gamers also only buy games on Steam.
Maybe a crazy remastered Steam release will launch alongside the RTX 6070 or something once the Epic Store's gone for good. EGS is basically a Fortnite launcher that also sells games with an unreasonably amount of missing features. Alan Wake and Fortnite have absolutely nothing in common either. I can't imagine this sold well and there's no way Epic would ever fund something this big ever again. Basically though; when Fort dies, EGS dies and I hope a Steam release will come after so this game can get the audience it deserves.
I bought a 360 for AW1 and have been waiting years to play AW2 but I just haven't had the ability to buy it yet. I was gonna "steal" it but I just felt too terrible about it half way through the intro. I've since just stopped caring. I'm patient
The game is Epic Store exclusive on PC and will never come to Steam. I and many others will not buy any game from Epic Store as we don't like their business practices.
I hope the game never makes any profit for them. If you abandon the Steam community, you lose a few million sales.
Epic funded and published the game so it makes sense it's Epic exclusive. And probably why it's digital only.
But Remedy learned their lesson and are going back to 505 games to publish their next games. Steam and physical pretty much guaranteed.
They've bought Control from 505 and split ways from them entirely right now and are looking for other publishers or partners.
@techraptor
You're right.
I guess we hope it isn't Epic then. Remedy want a better publishing deal...but that's going to be hard when your last game hasn't broken even yet.
Dead Island 2 just released on Steam so I bet this will as well down the line. It's likely timed exclusive just like Dead Island 2 was.
Can I get a physical copy? Even the new Alone in the Dark got a physical copy and the game blows to high hell
Alone in the Dark is actually pretty decent. No need for hyperbole. Play the game for yourself.
People are stupid. They locked out the only age group that cared about this game by making it digital only.
It is perhaps my worst game purchase in the last three years. Walking sim with some find and place the clue bits.
Should have also released a physical copy as well I would have bought it. No physical copy no sale in my books.
I'd say the group boycotting the game for being involved with a certain company, would be a lot smaller than the ones that would rather just buy physical copies of their games, than digital ones.
I reckon bit of both played a hand, in which proportions I couldn’t even take a guess
But deffo a bit of both
It's dumb. What point are you trying to make by not making a physical copy. Just hurting yourselves 🤷🏽
It could also be that people aren't interested in Alan Wake 2.
Just a theory.. but I honestly think this only has a mystique around it because it was once exclusive. The first game reviewed well (83) but more-so "good, not great" and ultimately didn't sell great.
People revere exclusives more than anything, especially on internet gaming forums. And although Alan Wake is now multiplatform, the coverage it got back in the day mixed with a huge crowd of people who wanted to play it but couldn't makes for a powerful nostalgia trip when it comes to sequels.
Well, it takes a tank PC to run it, no wonder.
Is not like everyone has money to throw on expensive GPUs and other parts
Want sales? Make it run on millions of machines and optimize it properly
That has far less to do with it. Cyberpunk takes a monster and has done well commercially.
The issue is who they locked out. No Steam release and no physical version currently has its fate sealed. Fixing those tow things is sure to turn some tides.
Id be guessing the all digital and swet baby inc situation, affecting sales....having said that you can tell its had a heap of production, i think they put some dollars into this game....shame its a great game, the puzzles do get a bit tiresome after a few hours though
Sbi situation wasn't a thing when it released. It's just a weird game and therefore a hard sell. Being boycut by people who dislike the fact that there's a black person in it, is probably not a huge factor. Sane people don't give a shit.
"and swet baby inc situation"
The game is aimed at adults so the Tater Tots raging about a consultant company of 16 people are too young to make a hit to sales.
A shame cause it's seriously incredible. Every Remedy game is fun, inventive, and have stories that are incredibly refreshing and told excellently. And it launched at only $50. People should have been eating this up.
The fact that there's 41 and counting comments all saying the same thing should show Remedy what a huge mistake they made. They left a lot of money on the table.
Yep. A game of this magnitude should never have released without a physical release. It's crazy ridiculous at this point. Your exactly right about that table.
Found the game to be a bit overrated. At this point, just release it on disc, get your budget back.
everybody says "SINGLE PLAYER GAMES ARE THE BEST I ONLY PLAY SINGLE PLAYER!"
then one of the best single player games in years comes out and struggles to earn its budget.
sad. This game is amazing.
well, digital only was a major turn off for alot ofnpeople, including me. never bought it.
It'll cost $100 million dollar team to come up with a plan called release it on disc, to get the money back
Good. They deserve it for not releasing physical. Give it the disc release it deserves just like the remaster.
So now that dead island 2 hit steam, I noticed that there is still epic store features baked into the game. In fact, on pc it still has you sign into an epic account, not sure if that’s for cross platform play between steam and epic. But makes me wonder if when AW2 hits steam will there be an epic store dependency
I wonder how many people held off because there was no physical version available?
Shame because the game is excellent and one of the best out there.
I’m sure there are some, but data shows that the majority of sales are digital for all games. So even with the physical missing the results are underwhelming. I bought it so I did my part and yes it was a great game.
Epic did not pay enough for exclusivity? And Xbox mkt funding? Maybe... it was mismanagement?
Remedy has made a couple of changes to its core management team with the goal to grow Alan Wake and Control into larger franchises.