Remedy’s Head of Franchise Development Oskari Hakkinen says that there is still life in Alan Wake, despite disappointing first month sales.
Alan Wake didn’t exactly fly off the shelves when it was released back in May, and according to NPD figures, sold just 145,000 copies in the US. Hakkinen blames these lackluster figures on what he calls a “competitive launch window” and “extremely aggressive marketing” for games like Red Dead Redemption and Super Mario Galaxy 2 which were also released that month.
He insists that the Alan Wake franchise is still viable, however, and says that interest in the game continues to grow thanks to positive word of mouth. “This breath of fresh air for gamers seems to now be working to our advantage,” he said. “As those that have already enjoyed Wake are clearly inspired to talk more about the game and tell their fellow gamers to try it also.”
Despite Hakkinen’s optimism, the future for Alan Wake remains unclear. Whether Alan Wake will get shelved like Alpha Protocol, or it will be a slow burning success like DJ Hero, remains to be seen. Microsoft seems to be proceeding with caution, and is pushing for more DLC rather than a full sequel, which suggests that it wants to get a more complete idea of the game’s appeal before it makes its decision.
Source: VG247
