Remedy might not want to release Alan Wake 2 physically, but THQ Nordic does
Alan Wake 2 is planned to release in October, but only digitally.
Following the news that Remedy Entertainment will not be releasing Alan Wake 2 physically, THQ Nordic has offered to do it instead.
Last week, following the first gameplay trailer for Alan Wake 2, developer Remedy released an FAQ where it stated that the upcoming sequel would be receiving a digital only release. This obviously made for a slightly controversial statement, given that physical media is very important for the sake of preservation. In response, video game publisher THQ Nordic has offered to do a physical release of the game, noting how it technically handled the physical release on PC back when the first game was released (it should be noted that this would have been via the original THQ, which no longer exists).
"I mean… we did the disc version of Alan Wake for PC back in the day [in case you missed it]," reads a tweet from the THQ Nordic Twitter account, rounding things off with a sly winky face. "And just because ONE person (or company) does not love physical, there is plenty who still do. Give it some thought. We'd love to go at it again! Full circle and all." THQ Nordic did also tag the Alan Wake and Remedy Entertainment Twitter accounts, but this is obviously a bit of an informal way of doing things, so who knows if anything will come of it.
Remedy explained the choice for Alan Wake 2 to not have a physical release as being a way to keep the price of the game lower - i.e. at $60, rather than $70. It also noted that many now play on digital only consoles, and that it didn't want to "ship a disc product and have it require a download for the game," just for the sake of it.
Who knows if Remedy will take up THQ Nordic's offer, after all, it would still cost money to do something like that, so we'll have to see.
Alan Wake 2 is planned to release on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, October 17.