No Steam And Physical Release, Alan Wake 2 Not Profiting Was Inevitable

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.

[thorstein]

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.

[Dirtnapstor]

It's a really good game. I platted this one on the PS5. Well worth your time exploring this universe.

[Jingsing]

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.

[Petebloodyonion]

You know that it's Epic Games that funded and published the game right?

[CrimsonWing69]

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 🤦‍♂️

[Elda]

Oh well. Next.

[anast]

They did this to save money, but it didn't work.

[Skuletor]

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.

[anast]

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.

[Charlieboy333]

@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?

[Chocoburger]

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.

[MetroidFREAK21]

I'm a very patient man... I will wait and continue to wait for a physical version

[lellkay]

Same boat

[Fist4achin]

Same. My backlog certainly keeps me entertained.

[isarai]

Same

[shinoff2183]

Same. It worked for bg3,and numerous others.

[notachance]

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.

[jznrpg]

I have a massive backlog of physical games if they don’t want my money day 1 that’s ok I don’t mind waiting. The older I get the more patient I have become. It’s just a natural evolution. They are releasing a physical copy now and I’ll get it and we get everything in on one disc. Patches dlc etc it was worth the wait.

Weird message they are sending people though. Buy it day 1 and pay for dlc and play with bugs. Wait and get everything in one package and the best experience. Strange strategy

[Petebloodyonion]

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

[Skuletor]

All those games sold more physical copies than Alan Wake 2 did.

[CantThinkOfAUsername]

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.

[Petebloodyonion]

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.

[BlackCountryBob]

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.

[Petebloodyonion]

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.

[shinoff2183]

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

[Petebloodyonion]

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...

[jznrpg]

I bought all of those games physically

[neutralgamer1992]

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.

[Michiel1989]

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.

[neutralgamer1992]

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

[Michiel1989]

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

[Skuletor]

Yeah, not one Epic exclusive, timed or not has convinced me to spend a cent on their store and lackluster launcher yet.

[shinoff2183]

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

[RiseNShine]

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.

[isarai]

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.

[shinoff2183]

I like remedy but this was a bs move on both fronts. No physical no buy. Seems most pc players don't like epic.

[gold_drake]

yuuup

[UltimateOwnage]

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.

[Boog_89]

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.

[BlaqMagiq1]

Of course. People with common sense knew this would happen. Next time give your game a proper physical release.

[Knightofelemia]

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.

[maelstromb]

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.