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Remedy: Alan Wake PC is up to Microsoft

Published on 16th July 2009 by Joe Martin

Remedy's long delayed Alan Wake may yet see a PC release, but it's up to publisher Microsoft apparently.

Alan Wake developer Remedy has commented on the release plans for the long-delayed title, claiming that whether or not the game will ever see a PC release is totally up to publisher Microsoft.

First announced back in 2005, little has been heard of Remedy's psychological thriller written by Sam 'Max Payne' Lake and though the game has definitely been in constant development since the announcement precious few details or assets have been released since then.

"Remedy has a deep heritage in PC gaming and would love to see a PC version available to its PC followers," a statement from Remedy read. "Ultimately however this decision lies with our publisher."

"PC plans are currently open...[but] it's safe to say that at least a simultaneous launch with the Xbox version will not happen at this late stage."

The statement follow previous remarks from a Remedy developer who claimed that the studio was focusing almost solely on the Xbox 360 version of the game at the moment and that a PC version would follow later, if at all.

Alan Wake is based around the tale of the title character, a best-selling author who comes to the town of Bright Falls after being stricken with writers block and insomnia only to find himself trapped in his own nightmares somehow. Previews of the game have indicated a totally open-world that lets players roam around Bright Falls and it's environs freely, plus a fabulous lighting system and day-night cycle that's instrumental in defeating enemies.

No release date for the game is currently known for either platform, but we'll let you know more if we hear it. In the mean time you can chat about the game in the forums.

25 Comments

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Paradigm Shifter 16th July 2009, 12:03

In other words, a game they've spent most of it's development time saying how amazing it would be and how well it would use multicore processors and fast graphics cards and... well, generally high end rigs... will come out on the PC if Microsoft think it might make them a buck or two. Which it probably won't, if they spend time porting it properly, as everyone who wants it badly will have already bought it on the 360.

So then Microsoft can hold it up as another example of why developing PC games isn't worth it. Throw in some developer interview complaining about piracy rates, too.

I'm not surprised. Disappointed, but not surprised.

Er-El 16th July 2009, 12:11

I really hope Microsoft have the sense to release this on PC at least at some point shortly after the Xbox 360 release. And developers can stop using piracy as an excuse for no motivation as they can make their games only downloadable using services like Steam/direct2drive/GFWL, and have no store release, if they really want to.
Oh and use the extra time to port it to DirectX 11 while you're at it.

tejas 16th July 2009, 12:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paradigm Shifter
In other words, a game they've spent most of it's development time saying how amazing it would be and how well it would use multicore processors and fast graphics cards and... well, generally high end rigs... will come out on the PC if Microsoft think it might make them a buck or two. Which it probably won't, if they spend time porting it properly, as everyone who wants it badly will have already bought it on the 360.

So then Microsoft can hold it up as another example of why developing PC games isn't worth it. Throw in some developer interview complaining about piracy rates, too.

I'm not surprised. Disappointed, but not surprised.

^^ This +1

Microsoft have been using this excuse to shaft the PC for a while now. But true to form they will blame piracy and then some other devs will chime in and say what a disgusting ungrateful platform the PC is (rinse and repeat). Its getting almost formulaic now and incredibly old. The consoles will lose their lustre when DX11 comes as well as Larrabee. Then we shall see a reversal back to the PC... or at least I hope so

The PC deserves to be the focus of games like Alan Wake. Hopefully Remedy will tell MS to Foxtrot Oscar for their next game.

willowthewhite 16th July 2009, 12:36

If Microsoft are so reluctant to release there games on the PC, why the hell do they keep developing there DX platform?

Laitainion 16th July 2009, 12:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by willowthewhite
If Microsoft are so reluctant to release there games on the PC, why the hell do they keep developing there DX platform?

To keep games developers interested, and thus keep Windows usage up, at least in the consumer area.

ChaosDefinesOrder 16th July 2009, 13:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by willowthewhite
If Microsoft are so reluctant to release there games on the PC, why the hell do they keep developing there DX platform?

Xbox360 API is DirectX based...

(also you spelt "their" wrong twice)

Lepermessiah 16th July 2009, 14:27

We have known for ages MS are behind many PC game delays after the console release or not going to PC at all. They do more harm to PC then anyone else, why are these morons on the PC gaming alliance? Pc has so much more potential, yet they release games watered down and do nothing to take advantage of the extra Pc can do. Ms should be kicked off the Pc gaming alliance . MS would be happy to force people to buy a 360 and not play on PC where they can control everything and charge for more crap on live. BS.

how do they expect for Pc versions to sell when they come late, with no extra work to go into to make it a true PC game and utilize the extra a Pc can do?

Paradigm Shifter 16th July 2009, 14:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChaosDefinesOrder
Xbox360 API is DirectX based...

(also you spelt "their" wrong twice)

Well, 'there' is spelt correctly. It's simply the wrong homophone for that particular situation. :)

Lepermessiah 16th July 2009, 14:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paradigm Shifter
In other words, a game they've spent most of it's development time saying how amazing it would be and how well it would use multicore processors and fast graphics cards and... well, generally high end rigs... will come out on the PC if Microsoft think it might make them a buck or two. Which it probably won't, if they spend time porting it properly, as everyone who wants it badly will have already bought it on the 360.

So then Microsoft can hold it up as another example of why developing PC games isn't worth it. Throw in some developer interview complaining about piracy rates, too.

I'm not surprised. Disappointed, but not surprised.

Spot on, what is sad is how many console gamers and the press will say "See, this is why Pc gaming is dieing". Idiots. Epic and MS sitting in a tree.......

LeMaltor 16th July 2009, 14:37

This news killed any excitement I had for this game, even if it comes out on PC it will have been stifled by the 360 ala GTA:IV :S

sheninat0r 16th July 2009, 15:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeMaltor
This news killed any excitement I had for this game, even if it comes out on PC it will have been stifled by the 360 ala GTA:IV :S

Oh god, don't even get me started on GTA:IV... Rockstar Social Club and Games for Windows Live invading my computer, plus a mandatory GFWL update to play offline? Not only that, it crashed immediately after the Rockstar intro sequence (cue Google round 1), and after I fixed that it crashed right after the intro cutscene (cue Google round 2). Even on draw distance 75 (this is on a GTX 275 with 1792MB, by the way - I bought it pretty much so I could play GTA:IV and everything else at 1920*1200), the game crashed halfway as I was going to the cab depot for the first "mission".

Not cool. Not cool at all.

LeMaltor 16th July 2009, 15:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by sheninat0r
Quote:
Originally Posted by LeMaltor
This news killed any excitement I had for this game, even if it comes out on PC it will have been stifled by the 360 ala GTA:IV :S

Oh god, don't even get me started on GTA:IV... Rockstar Social Club and Games for Windows Live invading my computer, plus a mandatory GFWL update to play offline? Not only that, it crashed immediately after the Rockstar intro sequence (cue Google round 1), and after I fixed that it crashed right after the intro cutscene (cue Google round 2). Even on draw distance 75 (this is on a GTX 275 with 1792MB, by the way - I bought it pretty much so I could play GTA:IV and everything else at 1920*1200), the game crashed halfway as I was going to the cab depot for the first "mission".

Not cool. Not cool at all.

I got the GTA:IV dig in because I have just installed it (3 hours ago), I've dled the update 1.0.0.4 or something, but GFWL will not update >_< So i have to play in offline mode, I'm not bothered about online play, but that doesn't change the fact it doesn't work lol

Lepermessiah 16th July 2009, 16:27

GFWL + MS = epic bad. Why Ms keeps trying to standardize Pc when PC does not need nor want such a rubbish service for it's games. MS is so out of touch when it comes to PC.

TheMusician 16th July 2009, 17:13

Ive always thought the best thing to do would be getting a 360 or PS3 and attaching it to a 24" 1080p (or 1920x1200) monitor and using a keyboard and mouse with it for FPSs. I have a friend who does that, and as a result, gets a very intimate PC experience without the hassle of having to upgrade his graphics card every 6 seconds to play that new game at reasonably high settings with a good framerate. He attached the keyboard and mouse to the 360 using some device, I forget the name.

Lepermessiah 16th July 2009, 17:21

The Musician has zero clue about PC gaming either, many including myself LOVE upgrading and tinkering with PC's, that's half the fun, we love gettign that extra performance, the better graphics, mods. Simply having a K/M does not equate to a PC experience in the slightest. Every 6 months? Say what? Hell, a 3 yr old 8800GT can max out all but a couple games still, hardly a hassle to upgrade once every couple years, every 6 months is total BS, and simply not even clsoe to accurate.

Mentai 16th July 2009, 19:15

Lepermessiah is right. When I had a 360, I quickly grew tired of half it's games not even being true 720p (let alone 1080p) and having a set framerate of about 30. Even if a game comes out on PC that at present I can only get 30 frames out of, it's great I will be able to have a better experience in a couple of years with the fps never dropping below 60 and full AA and AF.

As for Alan Wake probably no longer coming out on PC... I have been looking forward to this game somewhat ever since it was first used as a DX10 showcase. Severely disappointed.

TheMusician 16th July 2009, 19:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lepermessiah
The Musician has zero clue about PC gaming either, many including myself LOVE upgrading and tinkering with PC's, that's half the fun, we love gettign that extra performance, the better graphics, mods. Simply having a K/M does not equate to a PC experience in the slightest. Every 6 months? Say what? Hell, a 3 yr old 8800GT can max out all but a couple games still, hardly a hassle to upgrade once every couple years, every 6 months is total BS, and simply not even clsoe to accurate.

Well, he has pretty little money and got the monitor and 360 as a gift. It was quite an upgrade from his Radeon 9600. I'm sorry if I offended you.

Adnoctum 17th July 2009, 04:22

Does Microsoft have an acquired brain injury?

I'm currently using Ubuntu on a power-sipping Internet box (because I don't need to be sucking down 200w while browsing), and the only thing keeping me with Windows is games.

No games on PC = No Windows installation.

And in retaliation, it will also mean no Xbox or future MS equivalent. I'll suck down the rising vomit and buy from that other underpants stain, Sony (the Wii being too toy-like for me).

On a related subject, I thought Alan Wake was DX10 only, so how is it going to appear on the Xbox?

PQuiff 17th July 2009, 10:51

Balls<<<<kick to!

Well i thought as much.Ive watched this game since it was announced, and im really disappointed. After all the graphical ho ha it turns out remedy are big fat liars. I though we were finally going to get a PC resident evil.

I wish there was another DX/ Open GL operating system so i could give M$ the old heave hoe.

ChaosDefinesOrder 17th July 2009, 10:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMusician
Ive always thought the best thing to do would be getting a 360 or PS3 and attaching it to a 24" 1080p (or 1920x1200) monitor and using a keyboard and mouse with it for FPSs. I have a friend who does that, and as a result, gets a very intimate PC experience without the hassle of having to upgrade his graphics card every 6 seconds to play that new game at reasonably high settings with a good framerate. He attached the keyboard and mouse to the 360 using some device, I forget the name.

I got a PS3 about a month before upgrading my PC, thinking that it would be a good stop-gap (and for use as Blu-Ray player) and attached it to my Dell 27" 1920x1200 monitor. After upgrading my PC to the one in my sig, I noticed that the PS3 games were almost all 720p maximum, and therefore looked horribly jaggy on everything, yet the exact same PC equivalent could display graphics at whatever resolution you wanted, including native 1920x1200. For that reason I haven't bought a PS3 game since, and instead get the PC equivalent and use a Xbox 360 wireless controller and Windows receiver. Prototype with controller at 1920x1200 full graphics is great fun!

So, yeah, I barely use my PS3 any more because there's sod all games that support 1080p (littlebigplanet claims to support 1080p but be damned if I can get it to output at that!)

Breivi 19th July 2009, 19:54

Im really dissapointed at Remedy. I understand that they cant do anything to the situation now but why did they do a contract with Microsoft if that didnt secure the certainty of the PC version. I thought Remedy was all about PC games and it is sad to see they didnt have the balls to keep their heads.

This was the only game I was waiting(about for 4 years) for. I could not even imagine that there would be talk about a port with this game. In my opinion gaming will take yet another turn to the worse if this game doesnt get a proper PC version.

Eduardo 19th July 2009, 21:19

Theres only one! reason why i would buy a console.. in particular a PS3, and its not because its got a blu-ray player.
If you love your car games/sims like i do, you will proberly know theres no hope in hell that SCEE (sony entertainment) will ever release their flagship title Gran Turismo 5 on PC,
Having been a diehard fan since its release in 98 and judging from the latest trailers this is sure to be one of the icon driving games for 2009/10. However i will wash my hands of anything PS3 if GT5 does not display at true 1080P 100hz+, hoping this is the least i can expect given its delay since Prolouge.
I'm also interested in getting the nvidia 3d setup, just waiting for $$ to come down still ($350 Appx), not really interested in getting a monitor just to run 3d so i'm thinking i will just hook into home LCD tv which runs @ 200hz and native 1080p not fussed about 1920 x 1200 gaming, not that its a option on the tv.
I'm hoping that 200hz is available at all resolution modes otherwise its bk to square one, can't really justify getting a overpriced 24-27" monitor that can display 120hz. As for the ps3?..well it depends how mindblowing GT5 will be, due for release around xmas 09.

CardJoe 19th July 2009, 21:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eduardo
Theres only one! reason why i would buy a console.. in particular a PS3, and its not because its got a blu-ray player.
If you love your car games/sims like i do, you will proberly know theres no hope in hell that SCEE (sony entertainment) will ever release their flagship title Gran Turismo 5 on PC.

Beg to differ
http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/2008/04/15/gran_turismo_to_hit_the_pc_/1

naokaji 19th July 2009, 22:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lepermessiah
GFWL + MS = epic bad. Why Ms keeps trying to standardize Pc when PC does not need nor want such a rubbish service for it's games. MS is so out of touch when it comes to PC.

Worst part is, GFWL is not doing anything to create a standard, all it has done so far is p*ss people off with having to create yet another account where you have to login to play.

Anyway, no pc version = no money from me.

Eduardo 20th July 2009, 03:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by CardJoe
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eduardo
Theres only one! reason why i would buy a console.. in particular a PS3, and its not because its got a blu-ray player.
If you love your car games/sims like i do, you will proberly know theres no hope in hell that SCEE (sony entertainment) will ever release their flagship title Gran Turismo 5 on PC.

Beg to differ
http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/2008/04/15/gran_turismo_to_hit_the_pc_/1

Thanks for the info.. but i'll believe it! when i see it, that means box cover with "games for windows" logo stamped on it.