Spoilers ahead forAlan Wake,Control, andAlan Wake 2.
On May 31, 2025,Alan Wakewas officially introduced to gamers by developer Remedy Entertainment. Up until then, the Finnish studio was known forDeath Rallyand theMax Paynefranchise, butAlan Wakemarked the beginning of a mind-bending and unique narrative universe that is still unfolding.
Protagonist Alan is a troubled writer who finds himself caught up in a bizarre mystery. While on a writer’s retreat in Bright Falls, Washington, Alan’s wife Alice is dragged into the nearby water, Cauldron Lake. Plagued by hallucinations and the unknown whereabouts of his wife, Alan works to unravel the mystery of the lake, revealing that an entity known as the Dark Presence is trapped in the waters and is bringing Alan’s writings to life. The Dark Presence is using the writings to try and escape, while using Alice as a way to lure Alan into the depths in order to free itself. Like a blend ofThe X FilesandTwin Peaks,Alan Wakefully embraces the bizarre, and it opened the door to a new type of storytelling in gaming.
Alan Wake Has Spawned an Entire Universe Centered Around Exploring the Unknown
The Remedy Connected Universe
Alan Wakewas merely the beginning of a much larger puzzle. In 2018, Remedy shook up the industry once more withthe arrival ofControl. Throughout the game,Alan Wakefans were quick to notice references to Wake and the events at Cauldron Lake sprinkled throughout the story. Eventually, Remedy launchedAWE,Control’s second DLC, which brought Alan back into the spotlight, as Jesse Faden learned about Cauldron Lake and its strange ability to use artists' works to alter reality.
This connection continued, asAlan Wake 2returned the favor toControl, makingthe Federal Bureau of Controla central part of its story while also featuring Jesse in theNight SpringsDLC. BetweenAlan Wake,Control, andAlan Wake 2, the stage has been set for Remedy to dive as deep as possible in this wacky and awe-inspiring universe. With each new Remedy game, the questions introduced byAlan Wakehave continued to unravel, and as soon as one thinks the mystery is solved, another one pops up in its place.
Alan Wakefully embraces the bizarre, and it opened the door to a new type of storytelling in gaming.
Remedy’s next game isFBC: Firebreak, a multiplayer title that takes place after the events ofControl, further expanding the connected universe.
Alan Wake Helped Show That Video Games Are the New Frontier of Storytelling
Video games have come a long way since the days ofPong. Once the new millennium arrived, developers started to be more experimental with games, seeing them as a fresh avenue to bring compelling stories to life instead of focusing solely on gameplay. People like Hideo Kojima anddevelopers like Rockstarrealized the potential of turning games into cinematic experiences. Remedy’s Sam Lake and his fellow developers at the company saw this storytelling opportunity, too.
Alan Wakewas a unique demonstration of how not all storytelling in games has to get straight to the point. Remedy leaned heavily into the fun of solving mysteries and forcing its audience into accepting that not all the answers are clear. This is atradition that Remedy has continued sinceAlan Wake, filling its stories with baffling plot threads that eventually connect to larger themes and story arcs, building its wild lore one step at a time.
FBC: Firebreakis set to launch on July 30, 2025.
AlthoughAlan Wakewasn’t the first game to introduce deep storytelling, it definitely demonstrated just how out-of-this-world developers can go when willing to take risks.Alan Wakeplanted the seed for a connecting story that is still growing, and as theRemedy universeevolves further, it will be thrilling to see how the first chapter’s legacy continues to inspire.
