Sweet Baby Inc. Kills Alan Wake 2: 1.8M Sales Is a Total Disaster!

Remedy CEO "Not Happy" as Sweet Baby Inc.-Influenced Alan Wake 2 Struggles with Profitability

Remedy Entertainment has announced that Alan Wake 2, a title heavily influenced by Sweet Baby Inc.'s narrative contributions, has sold just 1.8 million copies since its release. Despite decent initial sales, the game has failed to become profitable, leaving Remedy CEO Tero Virtala expressing clear dissatisfaction with the outcome.

In a post on X, Remedy shared, “Alan Wake 2 has sold over 1.8M units.” However, this milestone falls short of offsetting the game's substantial development and marketing costs, reportedly totaling over €70 million. Finnish analyst Atte Riikola initially estimated costs at €50 million for development and €20 million for marketing, but Virtala hinted that the true expenses might exceed those figures due to overinvestment and production inefficiencies.

Virtala addressed these concerns during a Q&A session, admitting, “When the game is not yet profitable, are we happy? We are not happy. Every game, especially at this quality level, should be profitable faster.” He also highlighted Sweet Baby Inc.’s involvement in shaping the game’s narrative and design choices, which may have contributed to the game’s mixed reception among audiences.

Sales for Alan Wake 2 have significantly slowed since its launch. Remedy previously reported that the game sold 1.3 million units by February 2024, meaning only 500,000 units have been sold in the past 10 months. This amounts to an average of just 50,000 units per month—a clear indicator of stagnation. Early sales accounted for 55% of total units sold within the first two months and 72% within three months.

With the game now discounted to $34.99 on the Epic Games Store and no major DLC or expansions planned beyond The Lake House, which arrived a year after launch, Alan Wake 2 faces an uphill battle to regain momentum. Remedy's CEO remains cautiously optimistic about the title’s potential long-term performance, comparing it to Control, which sold 4.5 million units over five years. However, matching that success may be unrealistic given the current sales trajectory.

The involvement of Sweet Baby Inc., known for their controversial influence on several game narratives, has sparked further debate among fans about the creative direction and priorities of Alan Wake 2. Many wonder if their influence alienated core audiences, contributing to the title's underperformance.

Despite the challenges, Remedy has announced its next projects, including Control 2 and a Mac release of Control Ultimate Edition. Whether these efforts can help Remedy recover from the setbacks of Alan Wake 2 remains to be seen.