Remedy Entertainment has announced that Alan Wake 2 will be released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via the Epic Games Store on October 17, 2023, but the game will only be available digitally, with no physical release planned at this time. The reason for that comes by way of a new FAQ that Remedy has posted on the official Alan Wake 2 site, which explains how digital-only releases are “uncommon” nowadays and how a digital-only release will allow the PC and console versions of the game to be sold at $49.99 and $59.99, respectively. Alan Wake 2 received its first gameplay trailer during yesterday’s packed PlayStation Showcase, offering a generous look at the return of the titular writer, as well as FBI Agent Saga Anderson, a secondary, playable protagonist.
“Alan Wake 2 is an intense story and a layered mystery that takes players on two disturbing journeys, running in parallel and echoing each other in strange and unexpected ways,” said Sam Lake, Creative Director and Lead Writer of Alan Wake 2. “A newcomer to Alan Wake’s world, FBI Agent Saga Anderson’s investigation offers players a unique lens into this survival horror experience.”
Alan Wake 2 Key Features
- Solve a Deadly Mystery – What begins as a small-town murder investigation rapidly spirals into a nightmare journey. Uncover the source of the supernatural darkness in this psychological horror story filled with intense suspense and unexpected twists.
- Alan Wake 2 introduces Saga Anderson, an accomplished FBI agent with a reputation for solving impossible cases, arrives to investigate murders in the small town community of Bright Falls. Anderson’s case spirals into a nightmare when she discovers pages of a horror story that starts to come true around her.
- Play As Two Characters – Experience both Alan Wake’s and Saga Anderson’s stories and see events unfold from different perspectives. Switch between Anderson’s life-ordeath race to solve the case and Wake’s desperate attempts to rewrite his reality to escape the depths of the Dark Place.
- Explore Two Worlds – Experience two beautiful yet terrifying worlds, each with its own rich cast of characters and deadly threats. Discover majestic landscapes of Cauldron Lake in the Pacific Northwest and the idyllic towns of Bright Falls and Watery. Contrasting sharply, attempt to escape the nightmarish cityscape of the Dark Place.
- Survive With Light – With limited resources, take on powerful supernatural enemies in desperate close-combat situations. It takes more than just a gun to survive: light is the ultimate weapon in the fight against the darkness and will be your refuge when enemies threaten to overwhelm you.
- Alan Wake 2, the highly-anticipated sequel from Remedy Entertainment and published by Epic Games, will release digitally on October 17 on PlayStation 5, PC via Epic Games Store and Xbox Series X|S.
From an Alan Wake 2 FAQ:
Why is Alan Wake 2 a digital-only release?
There are many reasons for this. For one, a large number of have shifted to digital only. You can buy a Sony PlayStation 5 without a disc drive and Microsoft’s Xbox Series S is a digital only console. It is not uncommon to release modern games as digital-only.
Secondly, not releasing a disc helps keep the price of the game at $59.99 / €59.99 and the PC version at $49.99 / €49.99.
Finally, we did not want to ship a disc product and have it require a download for the game — we do not think this would make for a great experience either.
From a Remedy Games press release:
Alan Wake 2 pushes players into a psychological horror story from the perspective of two playable characters. Saga Anderson risks her life to solve a deadly mystery of murders in the Pacific Northwest while Alan Wake attempts to rewrite his reality to escape the depths of the Dark Place, a nightmare version of New York City.
Taking full advantage of the power of current consoles and PC, and driven by Remedy Entertainment’s proprietary Northlight engine, players will take on powerful supernatural enemies in desperate situations filled with intense suspense and unexpected twists. Anderson and Wake are two heroes on two desperate journeys in two separate realities, connected at heart in ways neither of them can understand.