Alan Wake 2 Game Director Wanted Remedy to be the "European Version of Naughty Dog"

Naughty Dog – love them or hate them – their influence on the video game industry is undeniable, not just because of their successful projects like The Last of Us and the Uncharted franchise, but also for popularizing – and some might say creating – the cinematic game genre, with their approach inspiring many developers to combine gameplay with a movie-like vibe.

One such developer turns out to be Remedy Entertainment, according to Alan Wake 2's Game Director Kyle Rowley, who recently joined the Behind The Voice podcast to discuss Quantum Break, Cyberpunk 2077, and his latest title, the Alan Wake sequel.

Speaking to BTV's Abhi Jha, Rowley talked about joining Remedy for the first time to work on Quantum Break, revealing that after spending half a year as a Senior Games Designer at Jagex on Runescape, a game he wasn't "super-excited" to work on or play, he wanted to work on a game he himself would be interested in.

The title he was enjoying at the time, however, was Naughty Dog's Uncharted, and when Rowley joined Remedy as Senior Gameplay Designer and later Lead Designer for Quantum Break, he aimed to achieve a similar feel, even suggesting during one of Remedy's internal calls that they should strive to become "a European version of Naughty Dog." Ultimately, his vision aligned with Sam Lake's, with Quantum Break being described as a "cinematic action story" with a nearly 1:1 ratio of cutscenes to actual gameplay.

During the interview, Rowley also spoke about Quantum Break's development, explained why he left Remedy for Cyberpunk 2077 and then returned to direct Alan Wake 2, discussed his experience working on AW2, shared what was left on the cutting room floor and didn't make it to the final release of the Alan Wake sequel, talked about the game's Lake House DLC, and more. You can watch the full podcast attached above or by clicking this link.

Speaking of Alan Wake 2, as of November 2024, it was revealed that the game still hadn't recouped its production costs, with Remedy's Communications Director, Thomas Puha, attributing the lack of profitability to the studio exceeding its budget during development and marketing and not to the game selling around 1.8 million copies. With the Lake House Expansion not receiving the same level of acclaim as the original game, currently holding a 7/10 user score on Metacritic, it appears that unless AW2 is released on Steam, it might still take some time for the game to become profitable.

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