Remedy "Very Pleased" with Alan Wake Reception, Says Title Seems to "Have Legs"

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Remedy Entertainment has told Shacknews the studio is "very pleased" with Alan Wake's critical and commercial reception following an eighth place NPD debut, saying its long-in-development title entered a "very competitive launch window, with some games dominating with extremely aggressive marketing spends that were hard to match." Alan Wake sold 145,000 units between its launch on May 18 and May 29, the final day for NPD monthly sales tracking in May 2010.

In response to a laundry list of questions regarding the game's debut and how it affects the intellectual property's future, Remedy's Oskari Häkkinen told Shacknews that the company sees a "growing interest" in Alan Wake and that the psychological thriller "certainly seems to 'have legs.'"

Häkkinen said that the game's marketing approach, using a series of short live-action webisodes, "supports the ideology that Alan Wake is not a come and go title, rather something that grows in interest through experience." Häkkinen did not respond to specific questions regarding how sales will impact future content or potential sequels for the Alan Wake "franchise."

The first downloadable content for Alan Wake, titled "The Signal," will arrive on July 27.

The complete response provided by Remedy Entertainment can be found after the break
Overall we have been very pleased with the reception of Alan Wake with both the press and the fans alike, people compliment the story first and foremost, but love the characters, the combat and of course the setting also. There is no doubt that Alan Wake hit the shelves during a very competitive launch window, with some games dominating with extremely aggressive marketing spends that were hard to match.

However, we've always tried to stay unique and do something new and different in video games. This breath of fresh air for gamers seems to now be working in our advantage as those that have already enjoyed Wake are clearly inspired to talk more about the game, and tell their fellow gamers to try it also, the word of mouth phenomenon is very apparent with Alan Wake. There has been a growing interest in the title and it certainly seems to "have legs" to sustain.

The Bright falls webisodes are a great way to get a taste of the stylization, an introduction to some of the characters and the fiction. Even non gamers have enjoyed them and I highly recommend those that haven't spent the 30 minutes watching the six 5 minute episodes to dive into them, we were really pleased with this marketing approach and it supports the ideology that Alan Wake is not a come and go title, rather something that grows in interest through experience.

- Oskari "Ozz" Häkkinen, Head of Franchise Development at Remedy Entertainment

Xav de Matos was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    July 12, 2010 8:28 AM

    i'll do my part. this game was pretty awesome. i'd play an episode a night in the dark. the game's story and atmosphere are really great. looking forward to the DLC episodes

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      July 12, 2010 8:33 AM

      I agree 110%

      The game was really good. You won't be disappointed.

      Buy it !

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        July 12, 2010 8:42 AM

        Not for $60 I won't. When it drops to $40 and/or if it ships to the PC I'll consider it.

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          July 12, 2010 8:46 AM

          same here, no pc no sale

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          July 12, 2010 8:53 AM

          34.99 at Kmart this week.

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          July 12, 2010 8:59 AM

          and that's why PC releases are low priority and an afterthought. the game is worth the 60 bucks i paid for it on the 360

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            July 12, 2010 9:02 AM

            Goody for you.

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            July 12, 2010 9:09 AM

            Great! I am glad it was worth $60 for you. A short single player game with no replay value isn't worth $60 for me. Red Dead was worth $60 for me. This game, not so much.

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              July 12, 2010 9:26 AM

              comparing a linear, heavily story driven psychological thriller and an open world wild west shoot em up doesn't really make much sense when. i loved RDR and the story but you have to admit that most of the game was tedious filler missions, especially in mexico.

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                July 12, 2010 9:39 AM

                When they're both 60 bucks, fuk yea you can.

                And Alan Wake was supposed to be open world also, we all know what happened to that.

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                July 12, 2010 9:57 AM

                However many filler missions there are, they are still quite entertaining and a good time killers, plus the multiplayer is actually pretty good in some places. The whole package is definitely $60 worth.

                What deathofrats is saying though, a bit short single player (6-8 hours, no different playthroughs + more paid DLCs) wont be hard to see why some people said its not worth it...No PC version too.

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                  July 12, 2010 5:30 PM

                  i dont really understand how someone could have beaten the game in 6-8 hours. for me i would play an episode a night. roughly around 2.5 to 3.5 hours to do an episode except for the 6th and final which was a bit short. i guess if you play on easy and run your ass from point a to point b i could see 6-8 hours.

                  the first DLC i believe is free. i don't think the 2nd will be. they look to be full episodes so hopefully at least another 2.5-3.5 hours of gameplay each

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      July 12, 2010 8:35 AM

      Absolutely. Fantastic game. I really hope they keep putting out DLC for years, until the story is done. This could be a legitimate use of DLC, a strong complete title with ongoing episodic content released as DLC.

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        July 12, 2010 9:00 AM

        well there are 2 planned. hoping that it's a bit more wrapped up by the end of that

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        July 12, 2010 11:59 AM

        Thanks Duma :)

        We have a DLC releasing in a couple of weeks on July 27th titled "The Signal" which is free for everyone who bought the game (there was a voucher included with the game) and another releasing at the end of the year titled "The Writer".

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          July 12, 2010 12:13 PM

          Duma should know they're working in a DLC, he and sidetwo are both programmers for Alan Wake....



          :P

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            July 12, 2010 1:52 PM

            then what an odd post for duma to make..

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              July 12, 2010 9:46 PM

              No idea what omontero is talking about to be honest. I'm not a programmer at Remedy. I'm their Community Manager.

              Also duma doesn't work at Remedy, I don't know Duma at all.

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      July 12, 2010 10:13 AM

      I haven't played the game yet. Probably never will unless it is released on PC like many have said.

      I can't see a reason to justify spending $350 to play a short game. (Not a console owner)

    • reply
      July 12, 2010 12:48 PM

      [deleted]

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