Remedy Entertainment, the team responsible for the popular game Alan Wake, has discussed the challenges of moving towards multi-platform releases. Although the developer has succeeded with this change, Communications Director Thomas Puha admits that creating games for different platforms is very tough.
The studio’s journey to a multi-platform strategy was influenced by the development processes of both Alan Wake and Quantum Break. According to Puha, in an interview with GR, Remedy adopted a new strategy between 2016 and 2017 to deliver content more consistently. Puha said it had been a “tough adjustment,” but it was always going to be tough.
The original Alan Wake game, a psychological action thriller, was first released exclusively for Xbox 360 in 2010. It was then made available on PC in 2012 after a long development period. The game’s story revolves around an author dealing with a mysterious force that brings his writing to life in the peaceful town of Bright Falls.
“… [It’s] been a tough adjustment and it’s always going to be tough, but it’s also pretty awesome to have something coming from Remedy every year, be it a remaster, a new game, or an expansion. It’s fun to ship things and get them to your audience, instead of one game every five years.”
Thomas Puha
While it may seem easy to do multi-platform releases, it takes more than just pressing a “port” button. It takes considerable time, tests from the platform, licenses, and a lot of money. While moving to other platforms can increase your fanbase, there’s no guarantee that it will cover what it costs developers to port it over.
During the creation of Alan Wake, the Remedy team encountered challenges while aiming for an open-world survival game with dynamic day-night cycles. However, the ambitious concept proved too difficult to execute. Following extensive reorganization, the game transitioned to a more straightforward, story-driven focus, although elements of the original open-world design still influenced the final product.
In 2019, Remedy got back the rights to publish Alan Wake and started working on a remaster. The aim was to bring the game to a new audience on modern platforms while staying true to the original. Alan Wake Remastered came out in 2021 with better graphics and an updated main character to look more like the actor.
The remaster’s release on PlayStation was a big moment for Remedy and helped them learn how to port their game onto PlayStation platforms. This approach will apparently keep happening as the company makes more games.
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