Summary
Remedy Entertainment has confirmed that its next major single-player game,Control 2, is being developed on a smaller budget than the studio’s last release - 2023’sAlan Wake 2. While the financial scale-back may incite worries among fans, Remedy remains confident in its ability to deliver another high-quality experience with theControlsequel.
2019’sControlis widely regarded to be one of thebest games Remedy has ever made, so it comes as no surprise that the Finnish developer is working on a sequel that further expands the universe. Given the technical and narrative expertise ofControl, expectations forControl 2are pretty high, even more so after the exceedingly positive reactions toAlan Wake 2- Remedy’s last major game release. However, whileAlan Wake 2was one of the most celebrated games of 2023, its commercial performance didn’t quite live up to the praise.
Just earlier this year, Remedy announced thatAlan Wake 2had finally turned a profitover 15 months since its launch. This isn’t very ideal for a critically-acclaimed, high-caliber AAA title, to say the least, and with budgets also skyrocketing in the games industry, Remedy has taken a step towards more financially manageable development. In a recentinterview with Game File, Remedy Entertainment CEO Tero Virtala confirmedControl 2is being developed on a budget of €50 million(approximately $57 million USD), co-financed withStrayandOuter Wildspublisher Annapurna Interactive.
Remedy Wants Control 2 to Be Profitable Quicker than Alan Wake 2 Was
Control 2’s budget is “a bit less” than what was spent on Alan Wake 2, but Virtala believes it’s sufficient to produce a top-tier Remedy single-player experience. Remedy has calculated that it can break even ifControl 2sells around two million copies, and the studio will see significant profit if the game hits four or five million units sold. This strategic budgeting is part of Remedy’s wider effort to transition from what Virtala described as “surviving to succeeding.” He explained that Remedy is adopting a more business-savvy approach, encouraging developers to consider production costs and timelines more carefully while keeping quality uncompromised.
Control 2is currently in full production, but it won’t be the next release on Remedy’s slate. That distinction goes toFBC: Firebreak, a co-op multiplayer spin-off game set in theControluniverse, which releases on June 20, 2025, for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Interestingly,FBC: Firebreakwill launch into PlayStation Plus Extraand Xbox Game Pass on day one, and also marks Remedy’s first foray into self-publishing.
