Highlights
- 2023 has been a big year for video games, and Alan Wake 2 is one of many highly anticipated releases.
- The game's developer, Remedy Entertainment, has decided to delay the release of Alan Wake 2 to avoid competition with other big titles in October.
- While the delay gives the game more breathing room, it still faces competition from other games releasing around the same time. Players may not be finished with huge games like Marvel's Spider-Man 2 come October 27, and spending so much on other games could make them less likely to buy Alan Wake 2.
2023 has already been a monumental year for the video game industry. Every month has brought at least one Game of the Year contender, and that competition has only continued to ramp up during the Summer. Hogwarts Legacy, Dead Space, Resident Evil 4, Diablo 4, Street Fighter 6, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and most recently Baldur's Gate 3 have all released so far this year, and each one of them is deserving of awards and praise. But the year is far from over, and October is set to bring even more contenders to the ring, contenders like Alan Wake 2.
The long-awaited sequel to the 2010 cult-hit psychological thriller, Alan Wake 2 has been the talk of the town since its first gameplay demonstration during Summer Game Fest. A much more ambitious project than the original, Alan Wake 2 is a clear passion project from Remedy Entertainment, and it's only natural that the developer would want to make sure it gets into the hands of as many gamers as possible. In an attempt to do just that, Remedy has just announced a minor delay for Alan Wake 2, but while this is definitely a smart move, it still doesn't guarantee the sequel's success.
Alan Wake 2's Delay Still Doesn't Guarantee Its Success
Alan Wake 2 was originally set to release on October 17, 2023. Back in May, when this initial release date was first announced, Alan Wake 2 had a prime spot, with October looking fairly empty. However, over subsequent months, October 2023 was starting to get a lot busier, with Marvel's Spider-Man 2 confirming an October 20 release date just a week or so after Alan Wake 2's initial date was set. Nintendo decided to throw its own hat in the ring with Super Mario Bros. Wonder, also releasing on October 20, and that's just scratching the surface of what October is set to offer.
A new Detective Pikachu, Forza Motorsport, Assassin's Creed Mirage, and The Lords of the Fallen are all set to release in the first half of October, practically ensuring that gamers have spent all their money by the time Alan Wake 2 was set to roll around. And if they weren't enough, Spider-Man 2 and Mario Bros. Wonder certainly would be, with many gamers likely saving their cash for their releases, set for just a few days after Alan Wake 2. But Remedy has made the smart decision to give everyone a bit more breathing room.
Just announced, Alan Wake 2 will now be releasing on October 27 2023, 10 days after its initial release date. In its announcement, Remedy specifically cites October's stacked schedule as the reason behind the delay, hoping that it'll give "more space for everyone to enjoy their favorite games." This delay puts Alan Wake 2 well after October's initial onslaught of releases, and a whole week after both Spider-Man 2 and Mario Bros. Wonder, giving fans of those games plenty of time to enjoy those experiences hopefully enough to put them down and give Alan Wake 2 a try. This new date also gives Alan Wake 2 a perfect marketing opportunity, coinciding with Halloween and the spooky season, which is ideal for the survival horror game.
But while this was definitely the right call on Remedy's part, it doesn't mean that Alan Wake 2 is out of the woods yet. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is set to be a pretty big game, and while many fans will have completed it in the first week of its release, many won't have, and they may still not be ready to jump into Alan Wake 2 on October 27. Additionally, a handful of games are still set to come out just before Alan Wake 2's new release date, with Cities Skylines 2, Metal Gear Solid Master Collection, and even fellow survival horror game Alone in the Dark all set to release in the days leading up to Alan Wake 2. So while Alan Wake 2's new date does give it more room to breathe, it still doesn't mean it gets the spotlight all to itself.
Alan Wake 2 releases October 27, 2023, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.