Highlights

  • Remedy Entertainment's legacy is solidified by the success of Alan Wake 2, leading to a new era.
  • Control 2 inherits a lofty legacy from its predecessor, with Remedy currently working on remakes of the first two Max Payne games.
  • Control marked a triumphant return for Remedy, setting a high bar for its eventual sequel and kickstarting a new golden age for the studio with a connected in-game universe.

Though Remedy Entertainment has been in the video game industry since the 1990s, it's a studio that's often been relegated to the background, with its long legacy granting it legacy status but not quite pushing it into the mainstream consciousness. A major reason for this has been Remedy's rather inconsistent release schedule. After Max Payne 2's release in 2003, Remedy took a 7-year-long hiatus, and a similar gap was left between Alan Wake and Quantum Break.

But Remedy seems to be entering a new golden age, and Remedy titles may be dropping more regularly. After the success of Alan Wake 2, Remedy appears to be kicking all of its projects into full gear, including Alan Wake 2's DLCs which are set to hit later this year, a Control multiplayer spin-off, and the next major project from the studio, Control 2, which is now inheriting a pretty lofty legacy. Indeed, Control is only one piece in the Remedyverse puzzle but it may carry the rest with it in a sequel.

Every Game in Development Remedy Entertainment
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Every Game in Development at Remedy Entertainment

Alan Wake 2 has lifted Remedy Entertainment into the stratosphere, and there's plenty more where that came from with four more games in development.

Control 2 Is Inheriting Remedy's Long Legacy

Remedy's Legacy Begins With Max Payne

Though Remedy's first officially released title was Death Race back in 1996, it was the first Max Payne that put the developer on the map. Released in 2001, Max Payne received some pretty mixed reviews at the time, with some outlets heralding it as one of the best PC shooters ever made, and others criticizing large swathes of the game's story and technical features. But despite its critical reception, Max Payne has gone on to be revered as one of the sixth console generation's best shooters.

That legacy is set to come full circle fairly shortly, with Remedy currently hard at work on remakes of the first two Max Payne games in conjunction with Rockstar. According to Remedy's last financial report, the Max Payne 1 and 2 remakes are currently in the "Production readiness" stage, meaning that as of October 2023, they were ready to enter full development. Control 2, on the other hand, is still in its "Proof-of-concept" stage, meaning that by the time Control 2 releases, Max Payne's own long legacy will once again be at the forefront of fans' minds, putting some big pressure on Control 2.

Control Marked a Long-Awaited Return for Remedy

By the time Control released in 2019, Remedy Entertainment desperately needed a win. Though the first Alan Wake had become a cult hit, it wasn't the critical or commercial success that the studio was hoping for. Remedy then put out Quantum Break for Microsoft, and while its concept was suitably innovative, Quantum Break's execution left a lot to be desired.

But then Control released and has become one of Remedy's most beloved titles. With an incredibly intriguing central mystery, some truly bizarre but thoroughly entertaining narrative ideas, and some genuinely innovative gameplay mechanics, Control proved that Remedy still had a lot of interesting and creative ideas. In many ways, Control kickstarted the newfound golden age it finds itself in now, and that's ultimately set an incredibly high bar for its eventual sequel.

Alan Wake 2 Has Cemented Itself as Remedy's Flagship Title

As if all that pressure wasn't enough, Remedy's most recent release, Alan Wake 2, well and truly knocked it out of the park. Though there was some buzz surrounding the long-awaited sequel, Alan Wake 2's impressive critical reception shot the game into the stratosphere upon its release, making Remedy a household name for the first time in decades. Remedy's legacy has been reinvigorated, and it's a legacy that Control 2 is going to have to carry even further with the entire Remedy universe on its shoulders.