Alan Wake 2 has been a sales success, but it is still losing money

Alan Wake 2 is one of the most critically and commercially successful games of 2023, and yet, somehow, it has also been a financial failure for its studio.

Under capitalism, there is an almost comical paradox: you can have a tremendously successful product and still lose money. Selling a lot, receiving praise from critics, and being nominated for game of the year is no longer enough for many video games. They need to break all unimaginable scales to justify their costs. Something that happened to one of the best games of last year: Alan Wake 2.

Alan Wake 2 DOWNLOAD
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In 2010, a video game broke all the schemes and offered a unique experience like we had never experienced in the survival horror genre.

According to Remedy’s latest financial report, Alan Wake 2 has not yet recouped its development and marketing costs. Having sold 1.2 million copies as of February 2024, it has not been enough to cover the game’s production costs. Even though it brings them close to doing so, as confirmed last month.

All of this leads us to an apparently contradictory situation, but not necessarily negative for Remedy. Their revenues decreased by 22.2% in the final stretch of 2023, but at the same time, Tencent has increased its stake in Remedy to 15% of its shareholding. Something that probably has to do with the fact that they have four games in production. Of which we know all the details of their production status.

The reasons for this monetary failure, at least for now, have contributed to the relatively limited distribution of the game. Having been released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and PC, the fact that it was exclusively a digital release and only available on the Epic Games Store may have harmed its sales numbers. This could change if a physical edition is released in the future and/or if it is also released on other digital platforms with a larger user base, such as Steam.

That’s why while Alan Wake 2 is one of the big hits of 2023, it seems that it is still on track to be a resounding success. Something that we have no doubt will end up being, given its high quality and that we will continue to talk about it in the months and years to come. Even if it is a bit demoralizing to discover that it is no longer enough to just succeed. You have to explode the market.

Alan Wake 2 DOWNLOAD
4
In 2010, a video game broke all the schemes and offered a unique experience like we had never experienced in the survival horror genre.

If you’re scared of Alan Wake 2, don’t worry: an update made for you has already arrived

Version 1.15, now available on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC, will allow you to smoothly skip the terrifying flashes during the game.

Have you tried playing ‘Alan Wake 2’ but every time a scary scene comes up, you hide under the sheets? Do you want to dive into Remedy’s new game but are afraid of ending up traumatized? Don’t worry, because the new update is specifically designed for you. No, the game won’t suddenly turn into a Teletubbies version, but you will be able to play without constant fear.

Alan Wake 2 DOWNLOAD

Moving on from terror

And it turns out that version 1.15, already available on Xbox, PlayStation and PC, will allow you to smoothly skip the terrifying flashes during the game. From now on, you can choose whether you want to play in a way that scares you with an audio intensity that makes you sleep poorly (either you or your neighbors with the screams) or simply set aside one of the great novelties of this sequel and compare it with some of the best slashers in the history of cinema. No jumpscares. That’s how things are.

It’s not the only thing that this new update brings, which allows the game to run better, it includes a chapter selector and a field of view selector on PC. ‘Alan Wake’ is a franchise that has been completely forgotten for decades, but after the success of this sequel, everything points to us having a trilogy very soon. Those monsters are not going to die on their own, after all.

Alan Wake 2 DOWNLOAD

How much space will ‘Alan Wake 2’ take up on your hard drive? Spoiler: a lot

More specifically, on PC you will have to have 86 GB free, slightly more than on PS5 (85 GB) and Xbox (82 GB). Did you want awesome graphics in a long game?

Remedy knows that gamers never have enough video games, and right after the release of ‘Spider-man 2‘ and ‘Super Mario Bros Wonder‘, they are getting ready to launch ‘Alan Wake 2‘, the sequel to a game from 13 years ago. It’s one of the first triple-A titles in history that will be released exclusively in digital format. We appreciate Marie Kondo’s attempt to keep our homes tidy, but in return, our computer and console storage will be filled quite nicely.

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The mystery of the gigabytes

This Friday, on the 27th, we’ll be able to witness Alan’s new adventures. But if you’re in a hurry, you can start preloading the game right now on Xbox Series and PS5, although not on PC. However, we have a fun task for these days: make space, no matter what, on your hard drive. Because depending on what you purchase digitally, it might not be that simple.

To be specific, on PC, you’ll need to have 86 GB of free space, slightly more than on PS5 (85 GB) and Xbox (82 GB). Did you want stunning graphics in a long game? Well, there you go. It’s true that Microsoft‘s console comes with 1 TB of space (or 512 GB in the case of Series S) and PS5 has 825 GB. So, this sequel is here to occupy a solid ten percent of your hard drive all by itself.

In this case, ‘Alan Wake 2’ is a much darker installment, focused on combat difficulty compared to the first part, which, relatively speaking, was more paced and less terrifying but had too many straightforward shootouts. For now, remember that you can play the original game either in its remastered version or in a 30-minute summary created for ‘Fortnite.’ Yes, for ‘Fortnite.’ No one said the 21st century was going to be simple.

Alan Wake DOWNLOAD