Critical Darling Alan Wake 2's Sales Seem Soft, But There's More to the Story

This game is gonna sell more in the next months. They made a huge impact in the game awards.

I Just started Alan Wake Remastered two days ago and I'm loving it, I'm gonna buy this one for sure when I finish the first.

Well that's the digital only effect. Alot will not pay full price and wait for a sale.

I bought Alan Wake 2 at launch but if I was given the choice of having to drive to a store interact with some teenager and pay an extra $10 I would’ve happily done that and I kind of get a feeling that a good chunk of this game possible target audience would have as well.

@Nekomichu I'm in the same seat. I have Alan Wake Remastered in my backlog, bought it on this summersale, but I have other games to play through first, Elden Ring at the moment.
But I will certainly buy Alan Wake II. The question is, do I get to it before or after Rise Of The Ronin in March next year.
Edit: Speaking about Rise Of The Ronin - preorders up now on PS Store if anyone is interested.

This would have been a game that was crying out for a couple of special editions if there had been a physical release. I would imagine that in store advertising for this was probably low too with it being digital, so most people/parents would have been buying the new COD or Spiderman. In the end, this game just came out at a bad time, so many great games have released over the last few months. I myself am massively interested in Alan Wake 2, but I haven’t yet picked it up due to so many other games to play and the fact there wasn’t a physical Collectors Edition to worry about missing out on.

Such a big gap between the first and second game can cause problems too. You basically have a whole generation who knew nothing of the first one.

Guys please go support Alan Wake II. I don't really enjoy the first game's combat, but you need to watch a synopsis and go buy Alan Wake II. It is soooooo good

I must admit I had this on my radar as a day one purchase. However when the time came around and even after reviews I pulled back.

Not merely because of the digital only aspect. As that's largely a myth in today's disc releases often not even containing the game.

It was something else about it. Perhaps the gameplay. The inferiority of the console versions, the narrative, or even perhaps My slightly different from the norm perception on the gameplay of Control. Not really sure.

Something just told me based on my preferences, this was a good game, but a wait for sale game. Yet I have no doubt about the passion, prowess, and originality of the devs over there at Remedy.

As with Baldur's Gate 3, I will buy a copy after it releases on disc.

@KundaliniRising333 Discs not containing the game is a myth in itself. Other than Call of Duty (which is just a license on disc), most games have full game playable from disc, without the Day 1 patch obviously.
There are some exceptions like Avatar and Star Wars Jedi Survivor which have mandatory updates to even play the game, but these are very few.

I would have bought it but “lol oops all digital”. Bought Street Fighter 6 Steelbook edition and Resident Evil 4 Remake for the same money instead.

850k on console alone would be an amazing number for this game, Remedy do not have a large console fan base(especially PlayStation, Control didn’t even make the PSN download top 20)

Control’s 2 million sales were not in a year but a little over that, which is important as it encompassed the Steam release too.In the investor meeting they stated that Control made more revenue in 2020 than in the release year(2019).it also sold the vast majority of its sales on PC.

Alan Wake 2 was 11th(North America)and 5th(Europe) on PSN monthly downloads in October and had only fallen to 12th and 7th the month after. Sales are staying very consistent through positive word of mouth. Also, to repeat, Control never made the top 20 on PSN and it launched in a softer month(August vs.October/November)

If this number is accurate then I am absolutely thrilled with that. This game will be a massive success, digital only also means a much higher profit margin on every sale so sales thresholds for profitability are much lower.

Personally I didn't enjoy the game at all but if it flops it won't be because of me. As I bought the thing day one. Remedy's a weird studio their games aren't always my cup of tea but that doesn't mean I want them as a studio to fail. Hopefully control 2 performs better

Im of the one that really enjoyed alan wake 2(platinum the game)Because i really love control,and remedy universe connected to each others. I did try played the first one but i just can’t stand the awful control. I guess digital only affects the sales.

Definitely getting this but also Definitely waiting for a sale!

If it’s digital only then I’d always wait for a sale. The loss of resale value means I’d only be willing to pay about £25 max for a game unless it’s one of my absolute favourite franchises. Sorry, but that’s just my going rate since I stopped hoarding my games. It’s very rare I’d have to pay more than £15 net for any game, so the extra £10-£15 is what I’m willing to pay per game for the small extra convenience of not needing to swap discs (then again, my backlog is so large I also don’t buy games new, preferring to wait for them to be finished, so I may well pick this up down the road anyway).

It's not because it's digital only as the amount of people that buy on disc still Is tiny and non existent on PC.

Remedy games have never dols amazing and Alan wake didn't sell very well and the remaster also didn't sell very well so a sequel to game not many people were all that interested in which came out awhile ago....

I loved the first the game. Really liking the 2nd although I prefer the more horror stuff of sagas gameplay the old A.W

Didn’t like the first game at all but I am planning on picking this up, as soon as I’m done with BG3. It came out at a tough time with lots of great games to compete with so unsurprisingly sales would be down. I’m sure there are many like me who plan on playing once they work through their backlog.

Had it been physical - Day One.
Without a disc, I’ll be waiting for a discount to <€20.

Exactly the same with Baldur’s Gate. I want to play it, but can wait.

If they take away the resale value of a physical product, the overall value proposition sinks massively. I want it on my shelf if I love it, I want to be able to sell it if I don’t.

This is what happens when the option for buying it physically is taken away! I know so many people who would have grabbed this day one if it was physical. People that have been waiting for a sequel since the original first released who now won't buy it unless a physical is announced or it goes on a low sale!

• Digital only means lack of eyes on the product in stores thus lower exposure - even for those that might purchase digitally
• released at a busy time when many were playing spiderman 2
• digital is expensive. Physical release = increased competition and opportunity for resale. Im another that probably would have bought day 1 if a disc was released. Instead will wait for a sale.
• personally didnt love AW1 (remastered) despite the hype and loving Remedy's other output so valued the opportunity to trade in when i was done.

For what its worth i do want to play the game, but not until its either on a deep sale or releases on disc.

@Sil_Am but they do exist. In addition to the ones you mentioned, Hogwarts legacy requires basically half the game to be downloaded before playing as it's not on the disc.

I'm not a digital only advocate nor do I think digital purchases matter or should even be full price to be honest. However I have absolutely come across several modern disc purchased games that required downloads to play. It sucks for sure but in a world where games on console are releasing more and more often unfinished and technically a mess, it's clear the industry is trending toward digital as the goal and also a crutch to development.

Either way I feel you and it sucks.

What is the combat like in this game. And how much combat is there?

Would have a much different picture if it was also available on steam.

Put it on a disc and I'll buy it, really enjoyed the first and this one is clearly even better from all the reviews and acclaim it has got!

@Bamila the console sales would be higher than 850k if it was on Steam?

The game called alan wake 2, it's the sequel for alan wake 1, a game about a guy called alan wake. Maybe the reason the sequels didn't sells because it didn't focus on, you know, alan wake?

Who the heck is this saga person and why gamers mostly play as her and not the person itself, alan wake?

Also epic store exclusivity and no physical media sure didn't help the games sells. And I think the gameplay isn't as good compared to its competitor like dead space remake, resident evil 2 and 4 remake.

@Martijn87 I doubt that would have moved the needle that much. Yes, some people are physical only, but that's a minority. Most either buy games digitally only or may have a preference but end up buying both digital and physical copies.

@ChrisDeku That's odd as Remedy games seem to fit Playstations first party portfolio very well.

@Nekomichu nobody cares about the game awards.

baldurs gate sold good because there are not that much games like bg3.

alan wake 1 sold around 2 million in 10 years on xbox360.
remedy will not make a loss on it they got government investing so if they don't make the money they got in the gov. loan then they don't have to pay it back.

I'd love to play it but horror/scary games just aren't my thing.

@wiiware

The game called alan wake 2, it's the sequel for alan wake 1, a game about a guy called alan wake. Maybe the reason the sequels didn't sells because it didn't focus on, you know, alan wake?
Who the heck is this saga person and why gamers mostly play as her and not the person itself, alan wake?

Dude's a genius, we now finally understand why no one buys all those Zelda games.

I don't pay full price for digital because it's worthless.
If they don't put it on disk I'll wait for a deep sale that eventually will come.
I would have asked for it for my birthday or as a Christmas gift but there is no fun getting a PS store code. This whole digital thing is a big fail and I'm kind of optimistic that these numbers are so low for what I'm sure is an amazing game.

@JAMes-BroWWWn Control was actually the first ever Remedy game to launch day one on a PlayStation. The previous 2 games from Remedy had even been xbox exclusive.

Also just to clarify some points, Remedy will never actually make a loss on Alan Wake 2, regardless of sales, because it was funded 100% by Epic upfront. However if it doesn't make a profit(€70m breakeven point) then Remedy will get zero royalty payments.

2 million full price digital copies is probably enough to break even, but it will also get something in the region of $10m+ for going to gamepass/PS+ if it hits relatively early(reception and awards will drive up this price, makes it a real prestige add)

First game had mid gameplay and didn't really do as much as I'd have enjoyed with its concept but the sequel is spectacular. I'm a little worried for Remedy as the game seems destined to be niche as it's a phenomenally weird experience, but with the Game Awards wins under its belt and the inevitable physical collector's version down the line (that I'll be a sucker for day 1) I think it'll have some solid legs, just as Control did after its commercially soft release.

The real GOTY

They can't be happy at all with the sales so far.

If they release a physical version I will buy it day one. But I am taking a stand and will not support Remedys digital only push, no matter how much I love their previous games. I'm voting with my wallet

Preordered digital deluxe edition and absolutely loved it. My game of the year can wait to replay on new game plus early next year probably around the time of the first DLC drop hopefully 🤞🏻

I'm not concerned. If they've sold 850k on console already that's likely outpacing Control, and not including PC sales - yes, Epic only.

It's a sequel to a niche game that came out a decade ago. It's also a plodding survival horror game that is not easy to market or explain, that basically requires knowledge of the og.

I loved AW2. It's right there with a few others for GOTY, but this was never going to be an immediate smash hit - and let's be honest, 2m for Control isn't exactly a staggering figure. It's all relative.

Maybe they should have done a physical release 😂

@Mrlebowski you have to use a focus beam with your flashlight to destroy the shadows around enemies, once that’s gone you can shoot your enemies. The charges on the flashlight are limit and they don’t give a ton of ammo, but more often than not you have enough of each. You can shoulder check enemies and dodge, there’s also flares, flash-bangs, and flare guns that you can use as well. The combat is fairly simple but fun enough. In all honesty, the story, characters, and world of this game are so phenomenal that I could play this game without a single piece of combat and this game would still be incredible.

Still need to play Alan Wake. I will absolutely play Alan Wake II, especially given how much I loved Control. I mean LOVED. Too many other games right now, and I’m really holding out for a physical steelbook or something… Maybe after we see how well Baldur’s Gate 3’s physical sells Remedy will change their tune 🤞🏼

This is easily my GotY, I can get over how unique and incredible it is. Thirteen years was well worth the wait because I’ve never played a game that does its story like this. I love how the world changes with certain things that happen right on the spot. The combat is the weakest part of it, but even that I enjoy. I’ll gladly take more games in the world and I think it’ll slowly build traction over time. If I remember right the first game was a cult classic as well.

It's a combination of it being digital only and having a horrid release date, coming out just after a few heavy hitters. I'd consider the latter being a far bigger reason for the lack of sales so far. There would have been a lot of people who would have passed on it because they were already playing something else, or at least wouldn't buy multiple games in a week's time.

If the 850k estimate is close to being true, then that's not so bad anyways. No, that's not Spider-Man 2 or Mario numbers, but that would put it in position to beat out Control. Word of mouth and such should help it over time, so I wouldn't be worried about it being a total bomb.

I won't be buying it anytime soon since it's a digital only release, but I also wouldn't have bought it yet anyways given what has come out lately and what will in early 2024. Also, I highly doubt the lack of a physical release was Remedy's decision. They were forced to be the ones to talk about it, but I'd imagine it was all Epic.

@IndoorEnthusiast You just summed up why I buy digital now. I have zero interest in driving 20 minutes to the store and interacting with someone. Lol.

@FatalBubbles Not to be rude but ever heard of Amazon? Or a postbox? I've never understood this argument for Digital when deliveries exist. I often get my games delivered days before the actual release date.

I want to play this but feel like the console version is missing to many graphical features. Waiting for PS5 PRO version 🙏

It could be a slow burner, it on my list for things my family can get me for Christmas. I will be buying a bunch of game in January as well.

I think it is risky releasing a sequel to a story-heavy game, so long after the original.

Many gamers around today didn’t play the first one. It’s mostly the few highly vocal boomers like me who didn’t quit gaming yet due to being too busy with families etc.

I bet we were the bulk of those who bought AW Remastered too, and not the Millennial types who were too young the first time around.

Then you have the issue of it being portrayed as part of a Remedy Universe, with those who didn’t play Control and its expansions, perhaps wrongly believing they wouldn’t be able to enjoy it.

Throw in a few lines of appallingly political and badly written dialogue (that were only 0.0001% of dialogue but unfortunately went viral online), and a presentation in the “performance” mode that left a lot to be desired, and I wouldn’t be surprised if sales were tepid.

AW might have a cult following amongst old crusty types like me, but it doesn’t have the wide appeal that a Max Payne reboot would have amongst all generations.

Hope Remedy don’t take a haircut on this one.

@Cloud39472 No worries, it’s a fair question. Historically I have not gotten games on release day when ordering online. I have never once had your experience of getting them early.

Between that and what I said before, I’ve just moved to digital which I greatly prefer now due to game sharing with friends (linking console and can both play at same time) and convenience.

I hope more people get it. We need games like this to do well, otherwise we will keep getting big budget copy/pasta games, like the standard Ubisoft model, COD etc

@ChrisDeku What are you talking about, from the first 1987 zelda games we play as link, rescuing princess zelda, every gamers now about that. You can't just replace the main characters and hope all gamers will buy it.

@FatalBubbles That's fair. Amazon, GAME, Square Enix etc. are quite unreliable as far as release day goes (though Amazon have improved) which Is why I order a majority of my games from ShopTo as they often deliver early and have never missed a release date so far.

I definitely see the benefits of Digital as opposed to Physical like game sharing and convenience. For me personally it's all about having the Disc as I hate not physically owning something. All I can hope for is that the option to have one or the other is always on the table as a completely Digital future is a major turn off for me.

@wiiware So it’s not about the name then?

What about the 5 million other games that changed the main character? Resident Evil? Final Fantasy?

You’re also overlooking the fact that they didn’t change the main character. You play as Alan in more than 50% of the chapters. The story is entirely about Alan Wake.

I would have bought it if they had a physical edition at launch. I'm waiting either for a physical version to be release later on or a sale.

This seems to be an unfortunate tradition with Remedy games; struggle to sell at launch before picking up momentum over the coming months. A shame but I’m sure they aren’t concerned. Their massive exposure at The Game Awards this week will likely spike sales too.

I actually eschewed my physical only principle in order to support this release, even if taking only half a step outside of the triple A space yields no end of brilliant creative weirdness at a generally more reasonable price. I’m not sorry I did, though my opinion on the game itself continues to swing wildly all over the place. Not yet sure where it will rest.

I beat it but didn't enjoy it that much. The part at the end where she calls someone a white a***ole really did me in too

@ChrisDeku
Replying to comment #29, the overall sales would be higher if the game were on Steam, yes. 850K units sold on console would be relatively unaffected, but @Bamila is clearly referencing both the sentence in the article that references the console sales and the sentence after by using the powers of reading comprehension.

"...managed 850k sales across consoles by the end of November. We wouldn't expect PC players to account for as many."

This is in part due to the game being hidden away on the Epic Games Store, of course. That store sucks.

The horror/ Psycho thriller genre is more niche. Those who haven't played Alan Wake 1 would not buy it either. No physical release as mentioned by others is just an excuse. Digital sales have been far more than physical in recent years.

@TheCollector316 No one has even the slightest idea how many copies it sold on EGS so any analysis of this is irrelevant. It could be a record breaker on EGS, it could be a total bomb. Any speculation is pointless.

The speculation that it wasn’t selling well was based on MAU’s from PS and Xbox, actual available metrics.

@LN78 I didn’t enjoy it either..it just felt so ‘off’ throughout..I’m at the last chapter and I have zero interest in finding out the ending..I think I’ll YouTube it..a totally disjointed, weird experience and I loved the first one

@Cloud39472 I’m in the states so ShopTo I don’t think would work for me?

While I prefer digital, I also hope that people continue to get a choice.

@ChrisDeku
More platforms = more sales, especially when the ommited platform is so much more popular. That is a fact proven time and time again, my friend. In any case, I could say with absolute certainty it is true from an empirical standpoint because if the game were on Steam, I would have bought it and that means +1 sale.

My general price limit for digital games over the years has been £15, with the odd rare exception to around the £20 mark.

@TheCollector316 Spider-man 2 would sell better if it was on Steam. What relavance is that to a discussion about Spider-man 2 sales speculation?

@The_ghostmen

I care about the game awards...

The Game Awards just have the unfortunate position of being very close to a toxic fandom that rags on everything just to rage farm clicks. I really don't think any of the "influencers" on YouTube hate things as much as they pretend to hate them, but for these guys to say "The Game Awards were good this year and Geoff did a good job" does not equal engagement. Then all the fanbois of these YouTube channels have just formed their opinions around these manipulators and become little echo chambers for an opinion that they think is theirs.

I have quite the backlog I'm working through and I'm hoping that at some point during that time they announce production for a physical release. Why release Alan Wake Remastered physically to then go digital-only for the sequel?

I hope over time that this game reaches a good sale point. I absolutely adored the game.

I'm not one to be too fussed about physical versions anymore. I do prefer to get physical, but I'll get digital, too if I want something bad enough - or a sale is too tempting to pass up.

AW2 is a masterpiece. I am currently going through The Final Draft (New Game+ if you aren't in the know), now.

If Digital only, I buy it on PC. I guess we do not count on any of these list.

Also... EPIC, Steam, UBI Connect, EA, Galaxy, Xbox. I have every Store launcher on my PC. Only willing to buy games on Steam is insane.

Regardless - One of the best game I have played all year. A must play in my book. Cant wait for the DLC.

I grew up going to musicals, just that one level made it a 10/10 for me

Genuinely the only reason I haven’t bought it yet is the lack of a physical edition. As soon as they do so, I’m buying it.

I think I remember seeing somewhere that Alan Wake 2 sold around 2 million around launch. I think these numbers are misleading as the game is digital only. I really hope this game does well because I don't want to wait until 2036 for Alan Wake III.

90% of my purchases are digital. I am too lazy to have to switch a disc. Digital is just more convenient for me.

@ChrisDeku I can't speak about other people but I played alan wake on xbox 360 and the moment I know alan wake 2 will have this random people as protagonist I'm not interested in the game anymore. I just want to play 100% as alan wake and don't care about this new protagonist story. And many people seems to think that way.

@wiiware I can’t really imagine not wanting to play a game because it has a new character in it. Fortunately the game is outselling the original so most people in the world have retained their sanity.

Good reviews don't really get a game very far it seems. Strange I guess their importance is exaggerated online. Anyway really didn't like this game so not happy it's doing poorly but not surprised, it's a glorified walking sim and most people want gameplay when playing games. I know, shocker

Physical or no buy for me. Sorry, I'm not purchasing a digital copy at full price.

No physical, no buy for me, ever again. I made this decision when I moved from the UK to Cyprus (while UK was still in the EU) and immediately lost access to all my digital music collection on Amazon, which I had built over 10 years...
For all like minded souls here, might be a good idea to actually communicate your decision to Remedy. A simple, polite email just to let them know that you will only buy this game if it releases on disc. It is one thing estimating potentially lost sales based on projections, and another thing having evidence that you could get x number of additional sales if you put the game on a darn disc!

@ChrisDeku A different main character is a big enough issue if you enjoyed and were invested in Alan Wake 1 and the game is advertised as a sequel to Alan Wake and called Alan Wake 2.
I think it makes complete sense for some fans to not be interested or feel let down by the devs.

One the best games of the last decade. It's a work of art. Worth full price for the 'We Sing' level alone if you ask me!

@zhoont If they do a physical I will. Not paying that much for something that'll be finished in a few days.

Lots of physically released games to play in October...

Well deserved, a lot of people don't want to pay this much for a game which is forced to be sold digital.

@Realist I finished it over 2 weeks like a TV show a couple hours a night and that was before NG+ with extra content dropped! If you wait for physical I can only assume that would be a complete edition like a year+ from now...

@ChrisDeku don't try to argue with wiiware. I remember him complaining about how Aloy looked in HFW.......... this is gonna be a pointless argument, just let him be angry and sad

Remedy, Epic, I'll buy it on a physical release. Just so you know.

Digital only release… sorry, but I'll wait for this to get to PS Plus one day.

@ChrisDeku Let just agree to disagree then. I hope there will be alan wake 3 and maybe we'll play as alan wake most of the time rather than some random guys/girls lol.

@zhoont Im in no rush,lol.

@Odium Thanks, I'll wait for the sale to check it out. Might not have enough combat for my liking, still looks good though.

@Mrlebowski no problem I’m happy to help. It’s not the most combat heavy game but they built such an incredibly unique game that I don’t mind the slower pace.

Of course it is, because some gamers are a brain dead breed who like mindless "horror" which are essentially action oriented games with horror elements like RE4 remake.

No problem with digital only but I'm not paying more then €20 max. But I'll wait there will be a physical version in the end there are enough options for that.

My name is John Wick…

Definitely the lack of a physical release that is hurting the sales. I personally am a huge AW fan, but I refuse to pay full price for a digital only game. Oh well.

It's because the game is a trojan horse and shoehorn's in a story about Saga Anderson with Alan Wake who the game is named after kind of redundant. Devs and publishers keep turning known action games into relationship simulators and consumers aren't buying it.

Epic Store exclusivity and lack of physical release hit hard I believe.

I will be getting Alan Wake 2 but I know I would've prefered a physical edition.