Gaming enthusiasts believed that Alan Wake 2 was just another game. The Gamescom Opening Night Live 2023 aired a few hours ago. It streamed on Gamescom’s own YouTube channel. Many gamers tuned into the show to see whether any interesting game was coming up. To their amazement, Gamescom had tons of exciting announcements, and everyone was hooked on the event.
Among those gaming enthusiasts, the executives of Microsoft were also present. People might think that the company was there as a game publisher. But it was quite the opposite. Microsoft tuned to the show to see how one of their former game performed. After the video ended, they sure went into depression.
Remedy Entertainment and Microsoft
The Alan Wake 2 trailer was shown during Gamescom. Before that, it was just another game, which was about to release in 2023. But after it was shown, it became one of the most anticipated games of 2023. Remedy Entertainment surprised everyone and showed they could compete with others.
Alan Wake was released in 2010 under the banner of Microsoft and Remedy Entertainment. The game was very well-received by the gamers. A couple of years later, Remedy released a spinoff, Alan Wake’s American Nightmare. The result was the same. During this point, Remedy Entertainment was looking to make Alan Wake 2 and proposed the idea to Microsoft, but it was immediately rejected.
Remedy tried to pursue it but without success. After years, they finally bought the rights to the Alan Wake franchise. Now, in 2023, they are going to release Alan Wake 2, which is a psychological game.
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Fans Think Microsoft Should Have Kept The Rights to Alan Wake 2
Immediately after the Alan Wake 2 trailer release, fans thought Microsoft made a mistake by selling the rights to Alan Wake 2. The game has the potential to be the game of the year. It could have made a huge profit for Microsoft. In the long run, Microsoft executives might think about this deal and keep on fiddling with their minds.
Looking at it from every point, it looks like a loss for Microsoft. The game trailer was launched with fewer expectations, but the love that it received completely changed the game. Even though single-player games like Assassins Creed Mirage and horror games like Alone in the Dark will be released during the same time as Alan Wake 2, the game could potentially outlive both.
Microsoft was not prepared for the long run and missed a sure-shot homerun. The executives were shortsighted. Together with Remedy Entertainment, they made Quantum Break, an exclusive game for Xbox. It became a cult game for the Xbox community. But the collaboration failed after that.
The biggest setback for Microsoft came when they sold the Xbox exclusive right of Alan Wake to Remedy Entertainment. When Xbox users buy the game, Microsoft will not receive any profit from it.
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Sam Lake on Microsoft
Sam Lake is the writer of Alan Wake. He was there when Alan Wake 2 was proposed to Microsoft. The team showed the script to other publishers as well. Lake added that it was odd, considering the industry shift. They felt that linear single-player games were a thing of the past, but in reality, it is still going strong. The concept of live-action mini-episodes in the game made Microsoft hooked on the project. They wanted a new game and did not want to invest any more of their time in Alan Wake.
Kyle Rowley, the game director of Alan Wake 2, confirmed that it was just a concept for which they fought. The characters, settings, and synopsis remain the same, but people are loving it more now.
Remedy Entertainment was under the buyout radar of Microsoft, but it later shifted its focus to Activision-Blizzard. Whatever the case, the Alan Wake 2 trailer is a huge hit among the gaming fandom.
Alan Wake 2 will only be available from 27th October, 2023. It will only be available in digital form.
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Source: YouTube
