Alan Wake was planned to be released on PS3

In an interview with CVG, Remedy CTO Markus Maki said the psychological adventure thriller was originally planned for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3, but Microsoft swept in with an offer that was too good to refuse, essentially taking the PS3, "out of the equation".


Remedy CTO Markus Maki has this to say;

"Our strategy was one of focus," Maki said. "That's actually a really core Remedy element, well if you forget the ambitious goals we had. We needed to be top notch in some areas, but we knew we couldn't do everything better than some developers out there. For example, this meant there was no multiplayer. That wasn't in our core set of skills and it would have been a huge effort.

We also took the approach to license middleware that made sense, even when we didn't end up using it all for one reason or another. And then, the big deal – to go with Microsoft and take one big technological effort, the PS3, out of the equation. That then changed the technology risk to a business risk – but that's a subject for a different talk altogether…"

"We looked at Unreal and other technologies out there, but this was actually before the PS3 and Xbox 360 were ever even released," he said. "We also had all three platforms planned in the beginning – PC, 360 and PS3. I think it's safe to say now overly optimistic view of the schedule. At that point, we didn't dare commit to shipping a game on third-party tech until the developers of that tech had shipped a game on each of those platforms.

Five years later, [I'll admit] that the reasoning wasn't solid because these guys beat us to the punch easily."

LINK

Will there still be an Alan Wake 2 after the slow sales of the first? I wonder if it would go to more than one platform too.

Will there still be an Alan Wake 2? Wonder if it will go to more than one platform too.anotherone10

[QUOTE="anotherone10"]Will there still be an Alan Wake 2? Wonder if it will go to more than one platform too.MachoTacoNacho

it was going to be PC exclusive by the looks of it back in 2006

if MS didnt come along i doubt it would have come to Consoles

We already knew that.....but this shows something. It is expensive to develop for multi-platforms, especially consoles. There are no standards on consoles; one console can be developed one way but other one can be developed a WAY different way. and developing for all those = MORE $$$.....Some developers spend around 25% of the development cost just porting a game to another console. That is a lot.

I call for ONE CONSOLE!! No More Exclusives. Lower Development Cost. Developers can focus on one group of people because there is Only One. No more system wars. Has to be Open-Sourced for no one company to control gaming = Cheaper Games.

Hardly anything does well on PS3 so it may have added 500k sales and been 347p.

M$ did do a terrible job pushing the game and they've FINALLY stepped it up after the fact. They had better produce an AW2.

And this is news ?

Alan Wake was a PC/PS3/360 project when it started, that is why it was subHD on 360, was not optimized at all

Alan Wake 2 of course will be a different beast

If Alan Wake were on the PS3 I'd have 0 reasons to keep my 360. I'll hang onto it for now I suppose. I never play it anymore though.

I love Alan Wake... so sad that it didnt sell better... I want a conclusion to the story.

As it stands though, it is one of my fav. games this gen. I urge anyone with a 360 to pick this game up... sometimes the 360 fanbase makes me sad... they have such a narrow opinion on games... people that only play HALO, COD & MADDEN just make me wanna puke.

Yeah i recon if they stuck to their original plan they'd have had much more success on the PS3 and probably made a sequel, xbox gamers just weren't interested and those who were are the ones who even bothered to say "Hm.. not FPS, i'll check this out". The other gamers were like "Not an FPS, i don't care!".JohnF111

I can't exactly say I agree with this statement being true at all. Given how long the game took to develop on a single platform. Releasing it on more than just the 360 could of easily extended development by over a year. Which means more money spent. Someone else already stated that up to 25% of dev budget can get spent on porting alone. I would imagine this number would go up if developing for a third platform as well.

It's not as if the PS3 base is enormously disproportionate to the 360's. Odd's are it would of sold about the same on the PS3 as it did the 360. So yes that would of doubled the games sales, but would the extended dev time and money of made it worth it?

The biggest problem this game had was two fold. One: M$ did a terrible job of marketing the game to the mass public. Two: It got steamrolled by Red Dead Redemption, as both games came out on the same day. The same thing would of happened if it had been released on the PS3 on the same date.

if alan wake was a ps3 exclusive it would have sold like heavy rain, microsoft can only market shooters

if alan wake was a ps3 exclusive it would have sold like heavy rain, microsoft can only market shooters

lostfan132

I think the game would have done well on the PS3. MS pretty much let this game fall into obscurity. BedBugMan

Yeah that's why it sold over a million copies right?

It was PC exclusive for a long time to begin with and it looked amazing on the tech videos, ( To promote Vista and DX10 I think ) then it became a multiplatform game after Vista was pretty much a failure to gamers, and then shortly afterward it became a 360 exclusive and the game was completely changed for it to work well as a 360 game. I wonder if remedy regret it. Ok they might have gotten a big payout from Microsoft but i think it dampened their reputation a little and that rep is one thing that will help them remain successfull in the future.

Hardly anything does well on PS3 so it may have added 500k sales and been 347p.

M$ did do a terrible job pushing the game and they've FINALLY stepped it up after the fact. They had better produce an AW2.

flexin007

Two new franchises created this gen on the PS3 have sold more than 5 million copies: LittleBigPlanet and Uncharted 1 & 2. And "Heavy Rain" sold double what Alan Wake sold...

So what are you talking about exactly?

thank you, xbox.

[QUOTE="anotherone10"]Will there still be an Alan Wake 2? Wonder if it will go to more than one platform too.MachoTacoNacho

They are just mad because they didn't sell like Heavy RainGeneralShowzer

[QUOTE="GeneralShowzer"]They are just mad because they didn't sell like Heavy Rainjasonharris48

[QUOTE="GeneralShowzer"]They are just mad because they didn't sell like Heavy Rainjasonharris48

Not just the same month, but the same DAY as RDR. Was just an all around stupid move to release the game on that date.

[QUOTE="jasonharris48"]

[QUOTE="GeneralShowzer"]They are just mad because they didn't sell like Heavy RainGeneralShowzer

I love how people here call the 360 the shooter console when the top selling games on the PS3 are shooters as well.

[QUOTE="MachoTacoNacho"][QUOTE="anotherone10"]Will there still be an Alan Wake 2? Wonder if it will go to more than one platform too.Animal-Mother

Remedy owns the IP

I think the game would have done well on the PS3. MS pretty much let this game fall into obscurity. BedBugMan

Oh well, love it on 360...feels just right with the 360 controller and really wouldn't feel as good with a DS3.

I really hope there's an Alan Wake 2...loved the first and the DLCs.

[QUOTE="jasonharris48"]

[QUOTE="GeneralShowzer"]They are just mad because they didn't sell like Heavy RainGeneralShowzer

PS3 has more shooters than Xbox lmao

This is a well known fact, it was originally one of the first games announced for next gen consoles but didn't have a publisher. MS agreed to publish it which obviously made it exclusive.

[QUOTE="anotherone10"]Will there still be an Alan Wake 2? Wonder if it will go to more than one platform too.MachoTacoNacho

People need to do research-

[QUOTE="Animal-Mother"][QUOTE="MachoTacoNacho"] Microsoft owns the Alan Wake property, so yeah obviously it will go to more than one platform.anotherone10

Remedy owns the IP

I love how people here call the 360 the shooter console when the top selling games on the PS3 are shooters as well.

coolnessmancool

Top sellers.

PS3 - Gran Turismo 5, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Grand Theft Auto IV, Red Dead Redemption, Metal Gear Solid 4, Uncharted 2, God of War 3, Black Ops, Modern Warfare 1 & 2.

X360 - Halo 3, Halo: Reach, Grand Theft Auto IV, Red Dead Redemption, Gears of War 1 & 2, Black Ops, Modern Warfare 1 & 2.

Hmmm......

Hardly anything does well on PS3 so it may have added 500k sales and been 347p.

M$ did do a terrible job pushing the game and they've FINALLY stepped it up after the fact. They had better produce an AW2.

flexin007

[QUOTE="coolnessmancool"]

I love how people here call the 360 the shooter console when the top selling games on the PS3 are shooters as well.

Blazerdt47

Top sellers.

PS3 - Gran Turismo 5, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Grand Theft Auto IV, Red Dead Redemption, Metal Gear Solid 4, Uncharted 2, God of War 3, Black Ops, Modern Warfare 1 & 2.

X360 - Halo 3, Halo: Reach, Grand Theft Auto IV, Red Dead Redemption, Gears of War 1 & 2, Black Ops, Modern Warfare 1 & 2.

Hmmm......

So 360's exclusive shooters are more popular than the PS3's ...

Does that make the 360 the shooter console, i think not.

dam. wish this would've happened.

I wish they make a sequal, I want to know what happens next off-topic: is Remedy making Max Payne 3?blangenakker

We already knew that.....but this shows something. It is expensive to develop for multi-platforms, especially consoles. There are no standards on consoles; one console can be developed one way but other one can be developed a WAY different way. and developing for all those = MORE $$$.....Some developers spend around 25% of the development cost just porting a game to another console. That is a lot.

I call for ONE CONSOLE!! No More Exclusives. Lower Development Cost. Developers can focus on one group of people because there is Only One. No more system wars. Has to be Open-Sourced for no one company to control gaming = Cheaper Games.

ShadowDeathX

[QUOTE="coolnessmancool"]

I love how people here call the 360 the shooter console when the top selling games on the PS3 are shooters as well.

Blazerdt47

Top sellers.

PS3 - Gran Turismo 5, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Grand Theft Auto IV, Red Dead Redemption, Metal Gear Solid 4, Uncharted 2, God of War 3, Black Ops, Modern Warfare 1 & 2.

X360 - Halo 3, Halo: Reach, Grand Theft Auto IV, Red Dead Redemption, Gears of War 1 & 2, Black Ops, Modern Warfare 1 & 2.

Hmmm......

um...red dead isn't a top seller on 360?

Opps edit your bold text put me in so much awe *why is it people like you always use bold text? as though it some how makes what you have to say more important* didn't notice red dead up there.

P.S: the 360 has 120 games that sold 1 million+ the ps3 has 90 that did that.

I wish they make a sequal, I want to know what happens next off-topic: is Remedy making Max Payne 3?blangenakker

The only reason I can see Remedy caving to MS's wiles would be is if they ran out of money for production.