Remedy Refutes Microsoft's Alan Wake “Couch Experience” Comment

Posted 12/22/2011 at 1:36am | by Nathan Grayson

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Back when Alan Wake first canceled his idyllic PC getaway, Microsoft made a pretty curious comment to justify it. "Some games are more suited for the intimacy of the PC, and others are best played from the couch in front of a larger TV screen. We ultimately realized that the most compelling way to experience Alan Wake was on the Xbox 360 platform.” To which many PC gamers replied: “Sorry, what?” In a way, however, Remedy agrees with Microsoft: PC, the developer believes, isn't just a console with interchangable insides. Both platforms create and provide different experiences, and that requires a very careful approach to the game's (recently revived) development.

“So many people have reached out to us and asked to be able to play Alan Wake on the PC,” CEO Matias Myllyrinne replied to PC Gamer on the subject of Microsoft's comment. “That’s where our roots are – in PC gaming- starting with Death Rally and Max Payne one and two. So, of course, this is a great thing for us – sadly it took a little longer. But this is still something that is close to our hearts.”

“The biggest things that we want to nail down are things like controls,” he added. “If this is not tuned to perfection, all the visuals are lost and the emotional touchstones are missed. A smooth camera and tight controls are crucial and some of the things that we need to look at from a different perspective when compared to a console game.”

Promising words, given the number of PC port horror stories scaring folks away from our platform of choice. And, since Remedy's self-publishing, that also removes GFWL from the picture. Which means a frightened writer was able to banish the nightmarish DRM back to the shadows, but Batman couldn't? Man, we really liked the world better back when it made sense.