At the PlayStation Showcase, we got a glimpse of Alan Wake 2, but hopefully, you weren’t planning on seeing it on your shelf, as the team confirmed it would be a digital-only release.
Alan Wake 2 was shown at the PlayStation Showcase yesterday, but besides the release date and a cinematic trailer, we also received some odd news regarding the game’s launch via the Alan Wake 2 FAQ. According to the team, it will only receive a digital release, rather than shipping to storefronts on disc, in a cost-saving measure to try to keep the price of the game at $59.99. Additionally, they cited the Xbox Series S and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition as proof of the changing times.
The full read-out from the FAQ can be found below, detailing all of the reasons Remedy Entertainment decided to go in this direction with the release:
Why is Alan Wake 2 a digital-only release?
There are many reasons for this. For one, a large number of have shifted to digital only. You can buy a Sony PlayStation 5 without a disc drive and Microsoft’s Xbox Series S is a digital only console. It is not uncommon to release modern games as digital-only.
Secondly, not releasing a disc helps keep the price of the game at $59.99 / €59.99 and the PC version at $49.99 / €49.99.
Finally, we did not want to ship a disc product and have it require a download for the game — we do not think this would make for a great experience either.
Is there a disc-based version of Alan Wake 2 in the works?
There are currently no plans to release Alan Wake 2 on disc.
While there are certainly some good points being made with the release of Alan Wake 2 being digital-only, you have to wonder if this is the wrong direction to take things in, as Remedy Entertainment themselves dealt with backlash from this with the original Alan Wake when it was pulled from digital storefronts in 2017 due to expiring music licenses. While the game was made available again, it disappeared for 17 months. Hopefully, this isn’t the direction more companies choose.
UPDATE – 5/25/2023 @ 2:30pm: THQ Nordic has offered to produce a physical version of Alan Wake 2 as they did the disc-based PC version of the original Alan Wake.
As of now, there has been no response or update from Remedy Entertainment, but the feedback is definitely picking up steam!
