'Next' Alan Wake Multiplatform PS3 Not Yet Ruled Out

(PLEASE NOTE: Please Bare in mind this is an opinion and doesn't necessarily state fact of the mentioned final product, rather is in fact an opinion based on what information we have received. Please do not take this too literally. We believe in hope. We know hope is an excellent thing, but we do not claim this as fact.)



To those of you whom have not yet played Alan Wake 2, shame on you. You ought to should you have an Xbox 360. To those of you whom have, we commend you on your great taste in video games. But, to those of you whom have not been able to play Alan Wake because you do not have an Xbox 360, yet would have received it with all your heart had you had the opportunity to play it well, don't give up hope yet.

Although we haven't necessarily been given an official confirmation of an Alan Wake 2, we know directly from the horses mouth that developer Remedy Entertainment have been up to something and it looks like its going to be another Alan Wake. Remedy's very own head-honcho has surfaced from his Finnish homeland studio to talk a little about Remedy's plans for its next game.

He states that its too bad the game had leaked and the surprise is now gone (who can ignore a legitimate source like concept artist, right?) and that he has chosen to shed a little light on the subject.

In his statement, there were a few things that caught our interest that really got our heads spinning and speculation began to stir along with information we had known concerning the game during its first outing. But first, he was quick to clarify that the company wasn't up to an Alan Wake sequel nor was it up to downloadable content  which can really only mean one thing. Its a full fledged game, but he refers to it as Alan Wake. Are you confused yet? Basically, Remedy is working on an Alan Wake titled game yet, you won't find 2 anywhere to be found in its title.

What captured our interest in his statement made to gaming site Joystiq.com , is that: "It's something that'll definitely give more to the Wake fans out there, but just as importantly, this installment will also give an opportunity for players who aren't familiar with the franchise to finally jump on board."

This gives us the distinct impression that Remedy are working on a wider offering. It could be they've changed up the gameplay to appeal more the typical hardcore Xbox 360 gamer, (hopefully we don't see 'Alan's Call of Duty), they're going to try their hand at a hardware gamble and incorporate Kinect, which is still struggling to gain favor by the hardcore gamer or they're going to try their hand at a multiplatform release which could mean Remedy have been speaking with Sony as well.

Furthermore, Remedy had stated in their official statement that:

"We can't wait to show you more, bear with us. Release dates, platforms and pricing are unconfirmed as of yet, but Fall 2011 is probably a good guess. More coming soon!"

The fact that Remedy didn't outright state, like Epic has in times past, that "they'd met with Microsoft to talk about what they should do next and Microsoft had given them more compelling reasons to remain on Xbox 360." Why would you go talk to Microsoft to discuss PlayStation 3 development? You know Microsoft aren't going to agree with that. Rather, Remedy said they weren't ready to talk about that yet so, negotiations are still underway. Typically, that sort of information is thrown right out there.

There are a few more things we know, unrelated to the official statement from Remedy. We know that Remedy have worked with Sony before on the PlayStation 2 with Max Payne and found success on the PS2 enough they were, at one time ready to develop Alan Wake for the PS3 so there's definitely some history with Sony. We also know that Remedy felt uncertain their engine may not have worked so well on the PlayStation 3 and looking at games like Assassins Creed and having heard all the negative press on how difficult the PS3 was to work on could have shaken Remedy a little. Remedy will state out-front that they weren't sure with the PS3 hardware and the technology and opted to take the business gamble by going with Microsoft rather than the technological gamble with new Sony hardware.

We know that the PlayStation 3's image has drastically changed over the last while. Its sales have skyrocketed and developers are liking what they're seeing on the PlayStation 3 and are learning the hardware and finding it not so bad to work on. They've also seen the PlayStation 3's growth and that its still got potential while the the Xbox 360 hardware is running out of room. Its clear games like Crysis 2 aren't exactly using the PS3 to its fullest potential. Developers like Naughty Dog are working hard on the PS3 and games are looking good. Ubisoft didn't known how to quit and in its subsequent Assassins Creed titles have proven it just takes some practice.

Remedy Entertainment, have been carefully watching the way things are turning out. They're finding great success and developer movement on a console the industry lacked faith in and were ready to abandon at its start. Developers such as Platinum Games had their trials and their flop on their first attempt, but weren't going to let it stop them and several other games are slated for release on multiplatform. Even Bulletstorm and the tiny little company of People Can Fly made things work on the PS3. Its all building Remedy's faith in the console and their confidence.

Speaking of Bullestorm, Remedy Entertainment's higher up had stated they had considered using the Unreal Engine rather than their own, and wishes maybe they would have. We've seen the Unreal Engine perform extremely well with Bulletstorm and having that engine already there and optimized will make development easy. An engine Remedy knows works well and its capable of all hardware taking the technological scare out the equation. Surely Epic stands by their product. Enough so the Cliffy B. himself went off to work with People Can Fly to help them work with it. (Its good business.)

The final point is simply that Alan Wake just didn't sell as well as Remedy may have liked it to sell. By going multiplatform, Remedy can reach a wider audience. Its a given that Xbox 360 gamers are predominately geared more toward shooters like Call of Duty, Battlefield, Crysis, whatever and sports games, you find those as well on the PlayStation 3, but you find a much more diverse audience more of an acceptance and different tastes for several other genre's. This is an appealing notion to Remedy to expand their sales to a wider audience when they know the interest and desire is there. It will increase their numbers.

Really, what it comes down to is whom Remedy speaks with first. Should Remedy be at Sony's door, or had been at Sony's door, we can expect a multiplatform release. However, should Remedy have returned to the conference table of Microsoft, Microsoft has no desire to strengthen Sony's list of exclusive titles by losing an exclusive themselves and are willing to do what is needed to accomplish that at whatever cost is necessary.

Still, the success of the PlayStation 3 at this point, lack of 360 sales, their interest to do again regardless of those sales and the fact they're already into development and having not come straight out and announced a platform means they're still contemplating and doesn't rule out the possibility that their owned IP (not Microsofts), could have a shot on Sony's black behemoth. We're sure to find out more come E3.

One of the questions on our mind is how Quantic Dream's David Cage will respond as he's rumored to appear at E3 as well to unveil another PS3 exclusive. We'll see as time goes on.

For all things Microsoft. For all things Remedy, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360. For all things Quantic Dream, David Cage and gaming, stick close as we keep you inside the X-Gaming Zone right here at the X-Zone. We're just as excited as you to learn more.