| Alan Wake | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Remedy Entertainment[a] |
| Publisher(s) | Microsoft Game Studios[b] |
| Director(s) | Markus Mäki |
| Producer(s) | Jyri Ranki |
| Designer(s) | Mikael Kasurinen |
| Programmer(s) | Olli Tervo |
| Artist(s) | Saku Lehtinen |
| Writer(s) |
|
| Composer(s) | Petri Alanko |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure, third-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Alan Wake is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The game was released in May 2010 for the Xbox 360, with a Windows version following in February 2012 and a remastered version released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows in October 2021, as well as a Nintendo Switch version in October 2022. The story follows bestselling crime thriller novelist Alan Wake as he tries to uncover the mystery behind his wife's disappearance during a vacation in the small fictional town of Bright Falls, Washington, all while experiencing events from the plot of his latest novel, which he cannot remember writing, coming to life.
In its pacing and structure, Alan Wake is similar to a thriller television series, with episodes that contain plot twists and cliffhangers. The game consists of six episodes, and the storyline continues in two special episodes, The Signal and The Writer, that were made available as downloadable content (DLC) in the year of the game's release. Additionally, a six-episode live-action web series called Bright Falls acts as a prequel to the game, and a number of related books also expand upon the Alan Wake story.
Written by Sam Lake and Mikko Rautalahti, Alan Wake took over five years to create. The game was originally developed as an open-world survival game as an antithesis to Remedy's prior linear Max Payne games, but the team struggled over three years to merge the gameplay with an action-thriller story. In two months, the team reworked the game into a more traditional linear game with an episodic approach that better supported the planned narrative structure, and which allowed the team to reuse previously created open-world assets.
The game received positive reviews from critics, has garnered a cult following, and is often praised for its visuals, sound, narrative, pacing and atmosphere. Alan Wake was awarded the first spot in Time magazine's list of the top 10 video games of 2010. Alan Wake's American Nightmare, a stand-alone spin-off, was released in February 2012 on the Xbox Live Arcade service. A cancelled sequel became the foundation of Remedy's next title, Quantum Break. Later, Remedy released Control in 2019, which takes place in a shared universe with Alan Wake. A sequel, Alan Wake 2, was announced at The Game Awards 2021 in December 2021 and was released on October 27, 2023.
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