Summary
Renowned developer Remedy Entertainment has announced a “strategic cooperation agreement” with publisher Annapurna Interactive for the development ofControl 2, as well as plans to expand theAlan WakeandControlfranchises outside of games media. This deal will relinquish the need for Remedy to rely on an external publisher for the long-awaited sequel to 2019’sControl, while also helping the series reach a broader audience.
After the release of the critically-acclaimedAlan Wake 2last year, fans are now looking forward to Remedy’s various other projects in development. The studio provided an update on these projects a few weeks ago, confirming thatdevelopment onMax Payne 1+2remake andControl 2was progressing well. As the sister series toAlan Wake,Control 2is particularly of interest to Remedy fans, and even though it’s advancing smoothly in development, the highly anticipated sequel is yet to receive a release window.
In a recent post on its official website, Remedy has now announced a new strategic partnership with Annapurna Interactive that will see both entities co-financing the development ofControl 2. The studio says that this collaboration has enabled it to self-publishControl 2, and to make the game “exactly” how it wants to. This is an important step in Remedy’s move to begin self-publishing its games, asAlan Wake 2’s digital-only distribution modelwas lamented by a lot of players. Thanks to the new arrangement, Remedy will also receive a “great revenue share” fromControl 2’s sales once initial investments are recouped.
Control and Alan Wake Are Getting Film and TV Adaptations
As the other party involved in this deal, Annapurna Interactive has a lot to benefit from it as well. The publisher has secured the movie and TV rights to theAlan WakeandControlIPs, and will subsequently work with Remedy to develop adaptations for these mediums. Annapurna will receive a similarly great revenue share from TV and movie sales. ConsideringAlan Wake 2was partly inspired byTrue Detective, as well as the episodic slant of itsNight Springsexpansion, both the Remedy franchises may translate rather well to movie and TV.
Although this update doesn’t do much for fans who have been wondering whenControl 2will launch, it does bode well for the creative underpinnings of the project. Even though Annapurna is funding 50% ofControl 2’s development, self-publishing the sequel will allow Remedy to launch and distribute it however the studio sees fit. Among all the consternation around its digital-only release,Alan Wake 2has yet to make a profit, soControl 2will hopefully fare better financially.
