It’s not every day in the world of video games that we witness a perfect marriage between a game developer and a publisher. But lo and behold, Remedy Entertainment and Epic Games have managed to pull off just that with the much-anticipated Alan Wake 2.
Remedy Entertainment, the Finnish developer behind the original Alan Wake, has been showering praise on Epic Games for its unwavering support during the development of Alan Wake 2.
Tom Puha, the Communications Director at Remedy, couldn’t help but express his gratitude on Twitter, giving a special shoutout to Epic Games. “They let us make the game we wanted. Nothing but supportive. Epic’s production team especially KILLED it on Alan Wake 2. They really care,” he tweeted.
Considering how often we hear horror stories of developer-publisher relationships gone sour, it’s refreshing to see Epic Games stepping up and giving Remedy the creative freedom and budget it needed. It’s likely that someone high up at Epic Games is a die-hard Remedy fan. (Hey, we’re not judging. If we had the power, we’d probably do the same.)
Alan Wake 2 is undoubtedly a massive improvement over its predecessor. From the looks of it, it seems Remedy took a good, hard look at the original Alan Wake and realized that, while the combat was, well, a bit of a snooze fest, it had a strong narrative with an atmosphere that made it standout. As such, Remedy decided to play to its strengths, leaning hard on cinematics, spectacular visuals, and a well-written story.
However, the game’s success isn’t solely attributed to its gripping narrative. Remedy also made strategic decisions to ensure that Alan Wake 2 was accessible to as many players as possible. By opting to forego the use of Denuvo, the highly criticized anti-piracy software, Remedy ensured that PC gamers could enjoy the game without some annoying middleware hampering performance.
Adding to this, while there were initial concerns over the game’s steep PC requirements, tests have shown that with a bit of tinkering in the graphics settings, even older and unsupported graphics cards can run the game smoothly.
Alan Wake 2 is a clear testament to what can happen when a developer and publisher work together in harmony. So, hats off to Remedy and Epic Games. You’ve given us a game that’s not just good; it’s epic. (See what I did there?)
