Gaming: Alan Wake 2’s been delayed by 10 days

Finnish studio Remedy has delayed Alan Wake 2 to 27 October, so we’ll have to wait 10 more days to have our minds melted by the metanarratives and Twin Peaks-style dream sequences that the developer’s cooking up.

Announcing the small delay via the game’s official Twitter account, Remedy explained the reason for the rescheduling: too many games.

“October is an amazing month for game launches and we hope this date shift gives more space for everyone to enjoy their favourite games.

“We can't wait to show you what everyone's favourite novelist is up to in the Dark Place next week. Thanks for your patience!”

They’re not wrong - October is looking absolutely stacked for major releases. It’s like the olden days of gaming.

Not only is Starfield arriving on 6 September, and let’s face it we’re probably all going to be playing it for about three years even if it’s only half-decent, there are also heavy hitters landing hot on its heels the following month.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is due 5 October, Forza Motorsport 8 on 10 October, Lords of the Fallen arrives on 13 October and very unhelpfully goes by the exact same name as its 2014 predecessor, and Creative Assembly’s next grand strategy epic, Total War: Pharaoh is also slated for an October release.

Most narrative game fans would back Alan Wake 2 to stand out even among that star-studded crowd, but apparently Remedy’s taking no chances. Side note: good luck getting an entire Assassin's Creed completed within three weeks.

In case you missed the enigmatic Summer Games Fest showing, Alan Wake 2 has every chance of being one of 2023’s standout singleplayer narrative-led games. It’s a marriage of survival horror, David Lynch-ian weirdness and Remedy’s trademark fourth wall-breaking storytelling.

For example, it appears that Remedy’s most iconic protagonist Max Payne features in Alan Wake 2. Trailers have shown a detective partnered with co-protagonist Saga Anderson who bears Sam Lake’s face and James McCaffrey’s voice - the studio head who lend his face to Max and the voice actor who portrayed him in previous titles.

However, Rockstar retains the rights to the Max Payne IP, so it’s not technically him. Instead it’s Alex Casey, a fictional cop from one of the eponymous Alan Wake’s bestselling crime novels. This is a series in which fiction comes to life, after all.

If the trailer is making us do that level of mental gymnastics, imagine what the actual game’s going to do to us in October.