Alan Wake 2 to be a digital-only release, THQ Nordic offers to publish physical copies

Alan Wake 2 is coming out later this year, with Remedy self-publishing this time around. The developer has announced that it will be a digital-only release, to avoid passing on manufacturing and shipping costs to consumers and in recognition that many players own disc drive-less consoles nowadays. Despite this, THQ Nordic, which published the PC version of Alan Wake, has offered to work with Remedy to develop physical copies of Alan Wake 2.

According to Remedy, Alan Wake 2 will only be releasing via digital distribution. The first reason given is that, with the advent of the Xbox Series S and PS5 Digital Edition, many gamers don’t play physical games anyway, and digital-only releases are not uncommon nowadays. Secondly, the developers wanted to keep the launch price low and not have to pass on manufacturing costs to consumers. Finally, the developers state that they didn’t want to release the game on disc, and still necessitate a day-one patch. As per the website, there are currently no plans for a physical release. While these are certainly understandable motivations, there are many players out there who still value physical media. In consideration of this, THQ Nordic has weighed in on this announcement.

In response to the news that Alan Wake will be a digital-only release, publisher THQ Nordic responded on Twitter offering to work with Remedy on a physical release of Alan Wake 2. “I mean… we did the disc version of Alan Wake for PC back in the day ICYMI ;),” the publisher wrote on Twitter. “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.”

@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.

— THQ Nordic in the Dark (@THQNordic) May 25, 2023

It will remain to be seen if Remedy will take THQ Nordic up on its offer. While it would be nice for at least a limited physical release to go ahead for players who prefer playing games from discs, Remedy seems committed to its digital-only release strategy. One way or another, we will find out more when Alan Wake 2 launches on PC via Epic Games Store, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 on October 17th 2023.