One of the biggest bits of news out of yesterday's PlayStation Showcase was the release date for Alan Wake 2. And one of the biggest disappointments, for some, is that there will be no physical release: It will only be available digitally. The upside for budget-conscious PC gamers is that we'll get it 10 bucks cheaper than console gamers—$50 on the Epic Games Store, vs $60 on other platforms—but it's definitely a letdown for box collectors.
But that may not be the end of the story. In response to a tweet about Alan Wake 2 being digital exclusive, THQ Nordic said it would be interested in publishing a boxed edition.
"I mean... we did the disc version of Alan Wake for PC back in the day ICYMI ;)" THQ Nordic tweeted. "And just because ONE person (or company) does not love physical, there is plenty who still do. Give it some thought. We'd love to go at it again! Full circle and all."
It's true: Nordic Games, as it was known before adopting the THQ prefix, published the boxed PC version of Alan Wake, which came out in 2012—two years after the original Xbox 360 release. The PC release also included The Signal and The Writer DLC, the soundtrack, bonus audio commentary, and a digital edition of The Alan Wake Files—a pretty nice package, all in all.
In case there's any doubt, THQ Nordic confirmed that its offer is casual, but serious.
"Obviously, a tweet ain't no official business proposal, but we're totally down to chat with Remedy about getting a physical copy of Alan Wake 2 out there," THQ Nordic head of PR Florian Emmerich said in an email. "The first game was really awesome, and we're expecting nothing short of that with the sequel."
@alanwake @remedygames I mean... we did the disc version of Alan Wake for PC back in the day ICYMI ;) And just because ONE person (or company) does not love physical, there is plenty who still do. Give it some thought. We'd love to go at it again! Full circle and all.May 25, 2023
As for Alan Wake 2's lower price on PC, Emmerich said that any talk about the cost of a packaged version is "wishful thinking" at this point because there's nothing actually in the works. "But hey, if things work out, you bet we'd be able to release a PC version at a lower price point compared to the console one."
So it's all just a throwaway comment at this stage and if I had to put money on it, I'd bet that THQ Nordic's offer is politely received and ultimately doesn't go anywhere. But as a box collector, I'm happy to see an acknowledgement that there's still value in physical releases, and at least a little bit of interest in doing them. Despite my overall pessimism, I'm hanging on to a little, tiny sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, this might actually happen.
Remedy, for the record, hasn't yet responded to THQ Nordic's tweet. I hit them up to ask if they might be interested in doing a deal, and I'll update if someone says yes.
