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[Alan Wake]

You have that completely backwards. Most people still buy physical, especially outside the US market. Even in the US market, physical is still a significant portion of sales.

No? In the UK the split is 90/10 in favor of digital. PlayStation's physical/digital sales split in Q2 2023: 67/33 in favor of digital. And so on. You can look for more stats yourself.

 

[IlGialloMondadori]

I want the market to go in the direction of demanding the kind of games I like so I get more of them. I wouldn't say I'm exactly happy, but it's an indicator that aligns with what I enjoy.

I still really really want to know what it is about Alan Wake 2 flopping that “aligns with what you enjoy,” and makes you sleep well at night.
Please…I’m dying to hear what you have to say, I’m sure it’s a doozy. I need to know what games that Alan Wake 2 is such a threat to.

 

[rofif]

No? In the UK the split is 90/10 in favor of digital. PlayStation's physical/digital sales split in Q2 2023: 67/33 in favor of digital. And so on. You can look for more stats yourself.

We are not getting anywhere with physical ca digital numbers because it’s not apples to apples. We don’t have all exact same games sold here and here to compare.
We need comparison of big AAA exclusives distribution. Like god of war ragnarok or ff16. For sure good physical part on this

 

[demigod]

No? In the UK the split is 90/10 in favor of digital. PlayStation's physical/digital sales split in Q2 2023: 67/33 in favor of digital. And so on. You can look for more stats yourself.

Oh really? Is that why FF16 sold more physically?

Let's not rush the death of physical video games | Opinion

Are we approaching the finale of the physical video games business?

www.gamesindustry.biz

 

[The Skull]

Just beat the game. What was woke about it?

I assume it is the race swapped Saga Anderson and the "another white asshole" line from the game.

The race swapping I'm kind of meh about. As far as I'm aware the original Saga Anderson only appeared in a short teaser video from Quantum Break for Remedy to tease Alan Wake 2, not like she was an established character.

The white asshole line in the game is when the dark place is trying to fuck with Saga's mind place and she dismisses it, ironically meaning it would be an evil version of her that said such things.

It's a nothingburger really compared to how "woke" some games can be.

 

[Senua]

You saying SM2 isn't good?

Nah but it's a much broader, accessible, lowest common denominator, standard sequel..Manufactured for the masses to lap up. Alan wake 2 is a passion project for Remedy. Loads of love poured into it.

But because black lady protag and you aren't shooting the bang bang gun at peeps every 10 seconds it's "WOKE BORE FEST"

BTW there is room for both games but you'd think an "enthusiast" gaming forum like gaf would prefer the more niche passion product over the 500th popcorn action game sequel. Just curious is all

 

[Alan Wake]

Oh really? Is that why FF16 sold more physically?

Let's not rush the death of physical video games | Opinion

Are we approaching the finale of the physical video games business?

www.gamesindustry.biz

But for God's sake. I'm not talking about individual games, I'm talking about the general trend in the industry. Is this news to you? Are you unaware that digital is growing at the expense of physical?

 

[Alan Wake]

We are not getting anywhere with physical ca digital numbers because it’s not apples to apples. We don’t have all exact same games sold here and here to compare.
We need comparison of big AAA exclusives distribution. Like god of war ragnarok or ff16. For sure good physical part on this

I'm talking about the general trend of digital distribution vs physical as the argument of why Alan Wake II being a digital only release probably wasn't the main reason it flopped. We obviously don't know, but I don't think so.

Xbox is leading the trend here but PlayStation gamers are also leaning more and more towards digital. I personally don't like this, I always buy physical if it's possible. I want my games in my physical collection. But I'm a dinosaur who grew up with games in the early 90s. AW2 it wasn't available on disc, and being a fan I surely wasn't going to miss out of this game out of pure stubbornness. But I still hope we'll get a physical copy one day (hell, I'd like a collector's edition!).

 

[rofif]

I'm talking about the general trend of digital distribution vs physical as the argument of why Alan Wake II being a digital only release probably wasn't the main reason it flopped. We obviously don't know, but I don't think so.

Xbox is leading the trend here but PlayStation gamers are also leaning more and more towards digital. I personally don't like this, I always buy physical if it's possible. I want my games in my physical collection. But I'm a dinosaur who grew up with games in the early 90s. AW2 it wasn't available on disc, and being a fan I surely wasn't going to miss out of this game out of pure stubbornness. But I still hope we'll get a physical copy one day (hell, I'd like a collector's edition!).

yeah of course.
if it failed digitally, having physical too would not fix that. AT BEST (not likely) you would double sales on ps5... which is a drop in water for this game probably

 

[xrnzaaas]

Physical release wouldn't save the game, but it still would mean more copies sold. In general I think they'd gain more from it than potentially lose because of people reselling their copies. It's quite a long game and it's mostly targeted at fans of Remedy / first Alan Wake so it's more likely they'd keep their copies.

 

[Griffon]

A lack of physical release didn't stop Baldur's Gate 3 from selling bazillions of copies.

The truth is that modern remedy games are pretty, very polished, have weird self-fellating stories, and are utterly uninteresting to play. The time when max payne had the best action gameplay of its era is long gone.

 

[IlGialloMondadori]

Is Alan Wake even in the game? It kind of looked like they replaced him with a black woman. You know, pulling a Disney. Or if he is in the game, they kill him off in the first act like another game everybody loves.

So you don’t even know shit about the game, you’re just upset because there’s a black woman in it. Got it.

 

[Lord Malachite]

Y'all know the saying: "go EPIC, go broke"

But seriously, the EPIC deal probably fucked them. They helped developing AW 2, sure. But at the same time, they couldnt release physical copies probably due to an agreement with EPIC, and no Steam release.

I've never seen Epic releasing physical games before (corret me if I'm wrong). And they've probably prohibited Remedy to seek another publisher.

They made a deal with the devil to make this game happen, unfortunately

Epic released the remaster of the original Alan Wake on PS5, PS4, and Series physically.

 

[Shake Your Rump]

Exclusivity on Epic Games and the lack of a physical release might have hindered sales.

Might have hindered?

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

I am curious though if they consider these sales really bad or not as it is unknown how much did they expect to sell.

I think the biggest mistake was EGS exclusivity. What I think Epic should have done was to release the game everywhere (EGS, Steam etc.) but those who buy it on EGS would get the Deluxe Edition as a bonus.That way they could even double dip - people probably would have bought the game on EGS store and also on Steam sale later or even at launch.

 

[TheSHEEEP]

On one hand, to assume anything from a lack of data is highly unprofessional, to say the least.

On the other hand, on PC it was on EGS only, and I don't think I need to point out that that won't exactly translate to massive sales.
I'd be more interested in what will happen once this comes to Steam.

So, in the end, all we know is this:

 

[SmokedMeat]

Theres FMV in alan wake 2. The reason why im not playing it. Devs need to be original and not go back to a time in gaming that isnt necessary.

But it’s not a FMV game? Just cinematic clips using real life actors.

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

I personally am responsible for four lost sales on my Discord group!

 

[samoilaaa]

I assume it is the race swapped Saga Anderson and the "another white asshole" line from the game.

The race swapping I'm kind of meh about. As far as I'm aware the original Saga Anderson only appeared in a short teaser video from Quantum Break for Remedy to tease Alan Wake 2, not like she was an established character.

The white asshole line in the game is when the dark place is trying to fuck with Saga's mind place and she dismisses it, ironically meaning it would be an evil version of her that said such things.

It's a nothingburger really compared to how "woke" some games can be.

is there actually a line in the game that says "another white asshole" ? holy shit

 

[SportsFan581]

On one hand, to assume anything from a lack of data is highly unprofessional, to say the least.

On the other hand, on PC it was on EGS only, and I don't think I need to point out that that won't exactly translate to massive sales.
I'd be more interested in what will happen once this comes to Steam.

So, in the end, all we know is this:

This, when we don't have any numbers about the sales or Remedy's sales expectations, it's kind of hard to make a judgement about flop status. LOL.

PC gamers are weird about the the "store wars" though, so, I can see being exclusive to Epic as an extremely limiting factor on PC.

 

[gaming_again]

I still really really want to know what it is about Alan Wake 2 flopping that “aligns with what you enjoy,” and makes you sleep well at night.
Please…I’m dying to hear what you have to say, I’m sure it’s a doozy. I need to know what games that Alan Wake 2 is such a threat to.

Sleep well at night? Threat? You definitely don't sound unhinged... to answer your question: I'm just not into narrative-heavy cutscene games with lots of walking and dialogue. I have books and films for that kind of thing. Sadly for me, this has been the fashion for big budget single player games for years. I hope this flop means they are becoming less fashionable.

 

[nkarafo]

You mean all those black female gamers represented by the main char didnt go and support the product they were catered to ???????

Real question: How many games that have a black woman protagonist ever sold well?

 

[Doom85]

Real question: How many games that have a black woman protagonist ever sold well?

Resident Evil 5 - 14 million copies sold

 

[Karppuuna]

It would be interesting to see new games physical vs digital sales, for sure older digital games sell good because there is constant sale in PSN store.

 

[IlGialloMondadori]

Sleep well at night? Threat? You definitely don't sound unhinged... to answer your question: I'm just not into narrative-heavy cutscene games with lots of walking and dialogue. I have books and films for that kind of thing. Sadly for me, this has been the fashion for big budget single player games for years. I hope this flop means they are becoming less fashionable.

I’m not unhinged, I swear, but I do like pissing about on forums. I was assuming you were a moron who thinks it’s a woke game, and was looking to enjoy the response, but sadly that’s not the case. You sound reasonable.

That’s fair, but I’d say what Alan Wake 2 is is still quite unique, and it’s miraculous it was made at all. I think that’s why sales aren’t super strong, and it’s unfortunate, because the industry would be better if there were a place for larger budget unique, personal visions.

 

[nkarafo]

I was reading "EGS" and i was thinking about "ESG" (the Environmental, social, and governance score of woke products).

I guess the game suffers from both.

 

[nkarafo]

I assume it is the race swapped Saga Anderson and the "another white asshole" line from the game.

The race swapping I'm kind of meh about. As far as I'm aware the original Saga Anderson only appeared in a short teaser video from Quantum Break for Remedy to tease Alan Wake 2, not like she was an established character.

The white asshole line in the game is when the dark place is trying to fuck with Saga's mind place and she dismisses it, ironically meaning it would be an evil version of her that said such things.

It's a nothingburger really compared to how "woke" some games can be.

I assume that's not the only thing. There's was a video posted when the game was released that showcased many subtle things they did with this particular character and how everyone around reacts to her that screams Sweet Baby edits all the way to me. I mean, they officially did get their dirty hands on this game after all.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

Nah but it's a much broader, accessible, lowest common denominator, standard sequel..Manufactured for the masses to lap up. Alan wake 2 is a passion project for Remedy. Loads of love poured into it.

But because black lady protag and you aren't shooting the bang bang gun at peeps every 10 seconds it's "WOKE BORE FEST"

BTW there is room for both games but you'd think an "enthusiast" gaming forum like gaf would prefer the more niche passion product over the 500th popcorn action game sequel. Just curious is all

Both games have woke shit.
Alan Wake is more my style but... EGS and I have a that came with my 4090....

 

[Last Hearth]

Physical release wouldn't save the game, but it still would mean more copies sold. In general I think they'd gain more from it than potentially lose because of people reselling their copies. It's quite a long game and it's mostly targeted at fans of Remedy / first Alan Wake so it's more likely they'd keep their copies.

More copies sold, yeah, but more profitable? Doubtful.
Producing a physical copy release is not cheap. Manufacturing those copies, getting them into thousands of stores, all cost money, plus you have to pay retailers around 30%. It’s not at all obvious to me that they would have sold enough physical copies to make it worthwhile.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

Look at the split of digital vs physical sales on PlayStation and Xbox, as well as Switch, over time.

Go out on black friday and look and see the top selling items every year.

 

[Last Hearth]

I assume that's not the only thing. There's was a video posted when the game was released that showcased many subtle things they did with this particular character and how everyone around reacts to her that screams Sweet Baby edits all the way to me. I mean, they officially did get their dirty hands on this game after all.

Yup, I'm not going to be able to tell you the specific woke things in it because I wrote the game off when I found out they paid Sweet Baby to be a consultant on it. That's all I needed to know.

 

[JayK47]

Yeah it's like 60:40. 60% being for Saga

So basically the Disney treatment. Is she also a lesbian?

And some games you do not need to play to know they are bad. This is one of those games. I know what I like. And I barely enjoyed the first game. And the second one has a token black woman to check a box. Hard pass.

 

[Ulysses 31]

So basically the Disney treatment. Is she also a lesbian?

And some games you do not need to play to know they are bad. This is one of those games. I know what I like. And I barely enjoyed the first game. And the second one has a token black woman to check a box. Hard pass.

Nah, she's a mother(dunno if the game ever brings up the father)

She's an FBI agent but the way she's written she doesn't act like one at all. Also NPCs just speak up openly in an almost infantile manner(Sweet Baby Inc. touch?).

 

[StreetsofBeige]

For those of you bringing up lack of disc sales, it probably wouldnt move the needle much. PC is all digital to begin with and Xbox/PS are around 80% digital sales. And for those disc purists, there's going to be a portion who caved in and went digital for AW2. Just because someone prefers discs doesn't mean they only buy 100% disc games forever.

 

[RoadHazard]

I haven't bought it yet even though I really liked the original (well, I liked the story and atmosphere, the gameplay was very average). That's partly because my backlog is too big, but there being no physical version definitely contributed to me not buying it day 1. Had there been one I likely would have pre-ordered, and thus I would have had a copy now. I don't pre-order digital games, because that's silly.

 

[Hunter 99]

I was interested in buying AW2 but £49.99 still is too much.
If they dropped it to £34.99 I might reconsider.
It's only like a tenner less than a physical AAA release.
Survival Horror is my favourite genre of games if I'm being honest and I wanted to jump on it when it released but I don't want to fork out that much for a pretty looking game that reviewers and fellow gafers are saying is a walking sim with poor enemy variety and also woke as hell.
I'll wait until its on sale.

 

[Phase]

Can't help but smile with how hard they've tried to push this garbage game. That's what you get for forcing people to play as someone other than ALAN WAKE the majority of the game.

 

[Alan Wake]

Go out on black friday and look and see the top selling items every year.

But man. What about raw statistics for the entire year and over time is hard to understand?

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

But man. What about raw statistics for the entire year and over time is hard to understand?

Physical games sell millions every year.
Is this hard to understand?

 

[Fake]

Neogaf, the most casually racist forum on the net!

Here, let me help you:

www.resetera.com

 

[SScorpio]

I was interested in buying AW2 but £49.99 still is too much.
If they dropped it to £34.99 I might reconsider.
It's only like a tenner less than a physical AAA release.
Survival Horror is my favourite genre of games if I'm being honest and I wanted to jump on it when it released but I don't want to fork out that much for a pretty looking game that reviewers and fellow gafers are saying is a walking sim with poor enemy variety and also woke as hell.
I'll wait until its on sale.

If you're a PC gamer, You can get it directly from Epic for just under $27 USD after the 33% off voucher, and it also comes with a copy of Alan Wake Remastered. It's about $10 more for the deluxe edition that includes the future DLC packs.

 

[Wolfpact1983]

So we can expect a physical version of the game in the future then...good.

 

[Gambit2483]

So we can expect a physical version of the game in the future then...good.

If Remedy and their upper management aren't total idiot morons?

Maybe.

 

[M1chl]

It wasn't which is painful to me personally and not for the reason of inclusion, her sections was at least bearable. Please stop with this moron shit.

 

[Windom Earle]

Resident Evil 5 - 14 million copies sold

Aaah those were simpler times. You could just have POC main characters because the developer actually wanted it and there was no reason to question motives.

But then again we had that stupid black zombie debate back then so there were already foreshadows of things to come.

 

[rofif]

Aaah those were simpler times. You could just have POC main characters because the developer actually wanted it and there was no reason to question motives.

But then again we had that stupid black zombie debate back then so there were already foreshadows of things to come.

RE5 was so stupid it was so good. I finshed it in one sitting on release.
Replayed it in local coop with buddy last year and it's still ok.
Village even makes a joke about "boulder punching asshole" lol

 

[zombrex]

Perfect example of needing to strike when the iron is hot.
They were atleast 8 years too late on a sequel.
Sale of the first game were also heavily inflated by steam sales, humble bundles etc.
They seriously overestimated the audience interest in a sequel.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Perfect example of needing to strike when the iron is hot.
They were atleast 8 years too late on a sequel.
Sale of the first game were also heavily inflated by steam sales, humble bundles etc.
They seriously overestimated the audience interest in a sequel.

First game was also in 360 bundles too. When I got a new 360 console in 2012 after getting RROD, one of the free downable games was AW.

 

[Doom85]

Village even makes a joke about "boulder punching asshole" lol

Which honestly makes no sense since IIRC Sheva was hanging off a ledge when Chris did that, and Wesker was only minutes away from dying. Meaning Chris would have to been the one to spread that story about the boulder afterwards which doesn’t fit his character at all (on the other hand, the “Claire sandwich” in Revelations 2 I could buy since Barry does seem like he’d be the type to go on and on about his adventures, including any cheesy lines he said, to his kids and friends, so Moira and Claire knowing about the original line made sense).

But since Heisenberg‘s line was still really funny:

 

[EverydayBeast]

Alan wake 1 was a solid third person poltergeist shooter, the trailers for Alan wake 2 were sweet