Alan Wake is a series of third-person survival horror games. The franchise was created by Remedy Entertainment, the Finnish company behind the first two Max Payne games and was first published by Microsoft Game Studios on the Xbox 360 platform on May 14th, 2010 in Europe and on May 18th, 2010 for the United States. The games themselves have since been ported from the Xbox 360 to the PC, with a "Remastered" version of the first game being released on then current generation consoles in 2021. A Nintendo Switch version was released in 2022.
Alan Wake is dubbed as "a psychological action thriller". Remedy were inspired by TV shows like Lost and Twin Peaks, as well as the author Stephen King.
Alan Wake 2 was released on the 27 October 2023.
Games
Also see Remedy Connected Universe.
Alan Wake
- Main article: Alan Wake (Game)
Alan Wake was first released in Europe on May 14, 2010 and United States on May 18, 2010 for the Xbox 360 and has since been released on Microsoft Windows on February 16, 2012.
The game tells the story of Alan Wake, a famous writer who has recently been suffering from writers block. He heads to the small town of Bright Falls with his wife, Alice, to hopefully help ease the condition. It's not long before his wife goes missing and he wakes up in front of a crashed car a week later, where he also finds a manuscript he doesn't even remember writing and shadowy men trying to kill him.
Alan Wake uses a unique mechanic where players have to use light to burn away the darkness on creatures called "Taken". They cannot be harmed until the darkness has been burned away, which can be done with the use of flashlights, flares and in some cases kill them fully with flashbangs. Once the darkness has been burned away, players have to shoot at the enemies to kill them. The game uses "episodes" to keep the player gripped as well as adding cliffhangers to keep the player intrigued.
On the 7th September 2021, Sam Lake officially announced a "Remastered" version of Alan Wake, which released on the 5th October 2021 on Xbox One, Xbox Series S & X, PC through the Epic Games Store and, for the first time, on PlayStation consoles with the PlayStation 4 and 5. The remaster features several character model and lighting upgrades, as well as 4K resolution/60 FPS for high end consoles. The main gameplay remains exactly the same, though the remaster supports haptic feedback on the PlayStation 5 Dualsense Controller.
On 12th May 2022, Remedy announced a Nintendo Switch version of Alan Wake Remastered was in development, which was released 20th October 2022.
Special 1: The Signal
Remedy announced the first special in 2010, and announced those who pre-ordered the Xbox 360 version of Alan Wake would receive the special for free. It was released on 27th July 2010 on the Xbox 360, but came already bundled with the PC version and Remastered versions of the game.
In the special Alan finds himself trapped in both his own mind and the Dark Place, and has to follow a signal on the phone in order for Thomas Zane to help him.
Special 2: The Writer
Also announced in 2010, this DLC serves as a follow up to the Signal and was purchasable on the Xbox 360 version of the game, though came already bundled with the PC version and Remastered versions of the game. It was released on October 12th 2010.
Now that Alan's mind has stopped sinking, Thomas Zane tries to guide Alan back to an insane version of himself who is creating wild and vivid creations trying to kill him.
Alan Wake's American Nightmare
- Main article: Alan Wake's American Nightmare
Alan Wake's American Nightmare was first released worldwide on February 22, 2012 on the Xbox Live Arcade marketplace for the Xbox 360. The game has since been released on Microsoft Windows on May 22, 2012.
The game is set after the second downloadable-content episode, where Alan is trapped in an episode of Night Springs. Hunted by his evil doppelganger, Mr. Scratch, Alan has to rewrite reality by following instructions left for him on pages he wrote in the sequel manuscript to Departure, entitled Return. He has to keep replaying the same events over and over until he gets everything correct.
The game retains the same gameplay as the first game with a few minor changes, including new weapons, but removes the "episodic" element for this game. This is set as a stand-alone title and does not impact on the main storyline. American Nightmare also adds a new feature mode to the franchise, called "Fight 'Till Dawn", where players have to fight numerous Taken for 10 minutes before the sun rises, whilst trying to get as high of a score as possible.
Control
- Main article: Control
Control is a video game originally released August 27, 2019 for Xbox One, PS4 and the PC. The game is set in the same universe as the Alan Wake games and revolves around a woman named Jesse Faden who enters the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC) and becomes the new director.
Expansion 2: AWE
- Main article: AWE (Control)
Remedy Entertainment released a DLC exactly one year later on August 27, 2020, titled AWE, which is a side story to the main campaign. This follows on the story of Alan Wake, and uses elements similar to the main games, such as using light to burn away the darkness. The DLC see's Jesse encounter characters such as Alan Wake and Emil Hartman, and shows what they've become in the years since the original games.
Alan Wake 2
- Main article: Alan Wake 2
At the end of the second Control DLC, AWE, it is revealed that Bright Falls was encountering another Altered World Event, though it was happening years in the future. This was speculation that a sequel was inbound. Further online news articles had stated that Remedy was indeed working on a new Alan Wake game, though it was unknown if this would be Alan Wake II, or just another game set in its universe.
At "The Game Awards 2021", Alan Wake II was announced for Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 5 and PC through the Epic Games Store. The game was re-revealed at a 2023 PlayStation Showcase, with a release date of October 17, 2023, though this was later delayed to October 27, 2023.
Expansion 1: Night Springs
On the same day the gameplay trailer for Alan Wake II was revealed, Remedy announced two expansions would arrive some time after the games' release, the first one titled "Night Springs". The expansion was released on June 8, 2024.
Visions and dreams. Fiction is written and coming true. Fiction collapses and remains just words on a page. These are those stories… in Night Springs.
Play as several familiar characters from the world of Alan Wake and experience the unexplainable in multiple self-contained episodes of Night Springs, a fictional tv-show set in the world of Alan Wake.
Expansion 2: Lake House
The second upcoming expansion is titled "The Lake House".
The Lake House is a mysterious facility situated on the shores of Cauldron Lake set up by an independent government organization to conduct secret research... until something goes wrong.
Explore the Lake House and embark on two separate adventures as the realities of Saga Anderson and Alan Wake collide again.
Other Media
Web Series
Bright Falls
- Main article: Bright Falls (Mini-series)
Bright Falls is a promotional web series of 6 episodes, with the first 2 episodes being released on April 27, 2010. The series followed Jake Fischer as he arrives in Bright Falls to do a report on the town's psychiatric doctor, Emil Hartman. During his time there, he realizes something is wrong and begins to have strange visions and wakes up in awkward places.
Each episode lasted around 5-10 minutes and the final episode was released on May 14, 2010, the same day Alan Wake was released in Europe.
Television Series
On 12 September 2018, Variety exclusively announced a TV series was in development. The TV show, which currently does not have a release window, will be adapted by 'Legion' and 'Cloak and Dagger' Executive Producer Peter Calloway. Creator of Alan Wake franchise Sam Lake also signed up as executive producer.
Tomas Harlan, a partner of the studio named Contradiction Films tasked in developing it said "Alan Wake was basically a TV series that was put into a game. That was Sam’s vision. It was influenced by ‘The Twilight Zone,’ ‘Secret Window,’ Hitchcock, ‘Northern Exposure,’ a lot of U.S. television. We plan to work closely with Sam on our this show. Sam is a huge part of this. This is his baby.”
Sam Lake previously stated back in 2015 a sequel had previously been in development but it never came into fruition. "Definitely what we have mapped out is a longer thing than the first game and a sequel; there is more to it,” Lake said. “In many ways, we see the universe as a bigger thing. Alan Wake is a very central character, but we have other characters around him like [friend and agent Barry Wheeler] and his wife Alice and Sheriff Sarah Breaker and other characters there. We feel this is a big universe to develop and explore in many ways. At the moment, there is no news of any further ‘Alan Wake’ games. As before, we’re exploring these possibilities and hoping to make it happen when the time is right.” Meetings to try and get the show made were due to start within the next couple of weeks from its original announcement. Since then there has been no word on its development.
On 12 May 2022, Sam Lake announced that the TV series had been picked up by AMC, though no further details have been announced.
Books
Alan Wake (Novel)
- Main article: Alan Wake (Novel)
A novel adaptation of Alan Wake was released on May 25th 2010 in junction with the games release. The book follows the story of the game but goes into greater detail and even includes moments that weren't even in the game. Remedy have clarified that the book is not an official source for the franchise since some moments in the book are inaccurate to the game.
The Alan Wake Files
- Main article: The Alan Wake Files
Released alongside the Collectors Edition of Alan Wake, the book is written by the ficticious writer Clay Steward and his time spent in Bright Falls. In the book, he writes how he had weird dreams about Alan Wake and how he was killed by a shadowy man, much like the events portrayed in Nightmare.
Graphic Novels
- Main article: Night Springs (Comic)
- Main article: Psycho Thriller (Comic)
In 2013 Remedy released bonus materials on the PC Steam version of the main Alan Wake game to all who owned the game.
Night Springs follows Frank Breaker, Sarah Breaker's father, as he deals with shadowy people in the night. Psycho Thriller follows Emil Hartman as he tries to deal with Ben Mott, who has become a Taken.
Setting
Bright Falls
The first game is mostly set in the idyllic small town of Bright Falls. It used to be a mining town until a volcanic eruption in the 1970's collapsed most of the caves. The town celebrates it's own annual event called Deerfest where every year the town goes on the hunt for deers as well celebrate the towns existence.
The Dark Place
Underneath the waters of Cauldron Lake is an entrance to the "Dark Place", where fiction, whether it's a book, movie or song can come true. It is believed that the volcanic eruption in the 1970's uncovered it.
The Taken
- Main article: Taken
The Taken are the games primary enemies. They are covered with dark smoke which protects them from harm and carry around melee weapons like knives, axes and shovels. Taken are people who have been possessed by the dark presence, and once it has taken them over, there's no way to save that person. When you encounter a Taken, they tend to say one liners which are threatening but ironically life saving.
Characters
- Main article: Alan Wake Characters
The games revolve around the title character, Alan Wake, a world famous writer from New York. Alan has a best friend named Barry Wheeler who at first believes he is crazy, but encounters the same things Alan does and helps him out. Other characters that help include Sarah Breaker, the town's sheriff and Thomas Zane, a mystical man of light dressed in a divers suit. Other main enemies include Barbara Jagger, the muse to Thomas Zane, Robert Nightingale, an FBI agent, and Mr. Scratch, Alan Wake's evil doppelganger.
Sales
Alan Wake debuted at No. 2 on the "All Formats" charts in the United Kingdom, but went to No. 1 in the "Xbox 360" charts. Despite the critical success and high rank placing in the charts, the game sold less than 1 million copies worldwide in the first year.
With the release of Alan Wake in the Xbox 360 Holiday bundle, sales began to increase and an estimated 1.4 million copies had been sold worldwide by December 2011. Alan Wake was then released on Microsoft Windows in 2012, and with the release of the PC version as well as Alan Wake's American Nightmare on Xbox Live Arcade, Remedy announced on March 13, 2012 that franchise sales had reached over 2 million copies.