Remedy Entertainment, the developer behind the cult classic Alan Wake, has revealed more details about the upcoming sequel, Alan Wake 2, at gamescom 2023. In an interview with IGN, creative director Sam Lake discussed the horror inspirations, the live action elements, and the reason behind the delay of the game.
Alan Wake 2 is a survival horror game with psychological twists
Alan Wake 2 is a survival horror game that follows the titular writer as he tries to escape from the Dark Place, a nightmare realm where his stories and fears come to life. The game will feature a mix of gameplay and storytelling, with combat, exploration, puzzles, and narrative sequences.
Lake said that the game is influenced by various horror genres and media, such as Stephen King’s novels, Twin Peaks, The X-Files, and Silent Hill. He also said that the game will have some humor and comedy elements to balance out the dark tone.
“We are big fans of horror in general and we wanted to explore different kinds of horror. There is survival horror, there is psychological horror, there is cosmic horror. And we wanted to kind of mix and match and create our own unique blend of horror,” Lake said.
Alan Wake 2 uses live action to create a seamless and stylized experience
One of the most striking features of Alan Wake 2 is the use of live action footage in some parts of the game. Lake explained that this was a deliberate choice to create a seamless and stylized experience that keeps the player off balance.
“The Dark Place is this shifting dream reality, kind of a layered place where Alan Wake is churning through these layers and it just felt very suited for switching the medium to keep you off balance. And he’s confused. You are confused. And we are going into seeing some live action and then jumping back into the game,” Lake said.
He also said that the live action footage is not meant to be realistic, but rather stylized and integrated into the game world. He said that the live action footage is shot with actors and props, but then processed with visual effects and filters to make it look like part of the Dark Place.
Alan Wake 2 was delayed to avoid going neck and neck with Spider-Man 2
Alan Wake 2 was originally planned to be released in September 2023, but was pushed back to October 2023. Lake revealed that one of the reasons for the delay was to avoid going neck and neck with another highly anticipated game: Spider-Man 2.
“We love Spider-Man 2. We think it’s a great game. But we also know that it’s a very different game from ours. And we didn’t want to go neck and neck with it. We wanted to give our game its own space and time to shine,” Lake said.
He also said that the delay gave them more time to polish and optimize the game for different platforms. He said that Alan Wake 2 will be available for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC, and cloud gaming services.
“We are very proud of what we have achieved with Alan Wake 2. We think it’s our best game yet. And we can’t wait for you to play it,” Lake said.
