Remedy Talks Going Over Budget on Alan Wake 2
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While Alan Wake 2 was one of the best games of 2024, the horror game didn’t become officially profitable until this year, which is surprising. It seems part of the reason why the game took this long to recoup its initial cost was that Remedy went over budget developing the horror sequel.
This was something the studio confirmed to MP1st recently in an exclusive interview.
Alan Wake 2 Devs “Always Careful” About Budget Sizes
Speaking to MP1st about FBC: Firebreak, we asked Remedy how they manage expectations and avoid going overboard on game development budgets. The games industry is suffering from this problem right now, with development budgets bigger than those of most blockbuster movies.
MP1st: Remedy is possibly one of the best studios when it comes to managing expectations, not overflowing on goals and budgets. What makes the studio different from the rest that they’re able to weather storms like the one we’re seeing now?
Thomas Puha, Communications Director: “We’ve been around making video games for 30 years. There’s been some really tough times at Remedy during that time, but somehow we have always managed to find a way to keep moving forward.
We did go over budget on Alan Wake 2, not an uncommon thing in this industry when you are always pushing the envelope and game development is unlike any other software development out there, so knowing how long it takes to really polish ideas into a great game, it’s always hard to tell. There’s always a big challenge in trying to match the creative ambition with realistic budgets and how many units you can sell.
We’ve always been careful about our budget sizes, the scope of our games and not hiring too many people, too quickly. It feels like a lot of people at Remedy do multiple roles and jobs!”
Remedy makes a perfect point in how the challenges of trying to match a game’s creative ambition with realistic budgets, and I feel this is where most studios fumble; knowing when to stop adding and using what you have.
For FBC: Firebreak, it doesn’t seem like Remedy will have an issue as it’s a smaller-sized game, and one that’s focused on multiplayer rathan than ushering players through a tightly-woven narrative.
Alan Wake 2 was one of those games that upon playing it, you just know that a ton of money was spent not only on the visuals, but even the real-world scenes looked like it had high production values, which couldn’t come cheap. If you’ve yet to play the game, our review explains why you need to change that fast.
Stay tuned to our exclusive interview, which will hit the site soon.
FBC: Firebreak will be released in the summer for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and you can read our preview of it to know more about the game.
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Most blockbuster movies?
Please look up Hollywood Accounting.
The games industry is no different. And Godzilla Minus One cost less than 15 million to make.
Stop perpetuating myths.