I mean, both statements in this "argument" are true. Alan Wake 2 would have sold more copies if it was also on Steam in its current form. But its current form wouldn't exist without Epic, so the argument is kind of moot. No other publisher would touch the IP with a ten-foot pole and Remedy really wanted to make it. I'm not surprised Remedy have a positive opinion of Epic after they were willing to fund their super ambitious passion project.
this post was submitted on 23 Jan 2026
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"No other publisher would touch the IP with a ten-foot pole"
serious question - why's that? Remedy has been known for creating excellent story driven games for 20 years. after the success of Control, I'd assume that there would be a bunch of interest
Alan Wake 1 was a commercial flop. Other publishers thought the IP was a one-way ticket to losses. The Epic deal wasn't the first time Remedy tried making AW2, they tried to talk Microsoft into it at first but they refused to touch the IP which led to Quantum Break instead.
It's not that publishers didn't trust Remedy so much as they wanted them to do other IPs instead of wasting money on a passion project like Alan Wake.
Additionally to the original Alan Wake there was also American Nightmare. I think that game did not help convincing publishers that the next Alan Wake won't be a flop.
Yes, though if I recall right even that game was a compromise of "Remedy wanted to make an actual sequel but Microsoft didn't want to fund that so an Xbox Live Arcade low-budget thing was all they had to settle for".
Maybe the studio was being mismanaged and they were asking for ridiculous money to get the game off the ground. Maybe they're just lying.
Hey Remedy, how are AW2 sales on PC?
That article is almost two years old. They broke even on AW2 around a year ago, and are now making profits. Would they have sold more if Epic would have magically agreed on both financing the whole game and not having it be an exclusive? Probably. But that wasn't ever going to happen. Remedy got to make the game they wanted to make and didn't even end up losing money on it, and from the way they talk about it they sound satisfied with that.
But what percentage of those sales are from EGS?
No idea, but regardless that is an Epic-problem and not a Remedy problem. Remedy only cares about whether or not they made a profit. Yes, perhaps sales figures on PC/EGS would be of concern to them if they were still partnered with Epic for future releases, but as they've already moved on to self publishing I don't think they care anymore from where the money has come, as long as it is coming. And Alan Wake 2 has been profitable for over a year now.
Dumb fucks always willing to jump in front of the bullet for evil corporations
Little more nuance in this situation than that.