Case in point: Alan Wake. Remedy’s psychological thriller cast players in the role of the titular Wake, a writer in the vein of Stephen King whose life comes unraveled when dark forces begin blurring the line between his fiction and reality. The game became a cult classic, even though the often-discussed sequel still has yet to materialize. With a moody, compelling storyline and gameplay rooted in the interplay between light and darkness, Alan Wake would make an ideal candidate for a high-definition remastering, and it turns out that possibility is already being discussed.
In an interview with Polygon, Remedy creative director Sam Lake confirmed that, while nothing is official yet, fans aren’t the only ones mulling the possibility of an Xbox One Alan Wake port. “I would love that to happen,” said Lake. “Nothing has happened yet, but we are discussing this possibility with Microsoft. I hope it happens, we’ll see.”
Alan Wake was originally an Xbox 360 exclusive, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that, if Microsoft and Remedy were to move forward with a remastered version of the game, it would most likely be solely for the Xbox One. Lake said the chances of a PlayStation 4 or Wii U version port of Alan Wake were “highly unlikely.” That being said, Lake doesn’t rule out the possibility of a theoretical Alan Wake 2 going multiplatform, should it ever actually get made. “When it comes to sequels it’s our thing,” Lake said, adding, “we can do whatever makes sense and what’s best for the franchise overall.”
This isn’t the first time there’s been semi-official discussion of a remastered Alan Wake. Last month an Xbox Live survey asked gamers if they would be interested in playing an upgraded version of Alan Wake on the Xbox One, and also hinted that such a remaster might be included as a pre-order bonus for Remedy’s upcoming third-person shooter Quantum Break. That game was recently delayed into 2016, so that timeline certainly lends credence to the possibility of a remastered Alan Wake heading our way next year.
While fans are still waiting for Alan Wake 2, Remedy’s creepy thriller did get a sequel of sorts in 2012, in the form of the downloadable title Alan Wake’s American Nightmare. Rather than a direct follow-up to the original game, American Nightmare is instead framed as an episode of Night Springs, the Twilight Zone-style show that pops up several times in Alan Wake.
If Remedy does move forward with an Xbox One version of Alan Wake, Lake says American Nightmare would likely be included as part of the package. Presumably a Wake remaster would also bundle in the two DLC episodes “The Signal” and “The Writer,” which picked up where the full game left off and provided a considerably less vague and more satisfying culmination to the storyline.
In the meantime, fans still pining for Alan Wake 2 can get a taste of what could have been – and hopefully what might still be – in the form of the video below, a gameplay prototype Remedy created five years ago to help pitch the proposed sequel.
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Source: Polygon
