"Alan Wake's Return" trademark may hint at long-awaited sequel

By Mike Epstein February 25, 2016

alan wake 2 rumors denied — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Quantum Break developer Remedy filed to trademark the name “Alan Wake’s Return” Tuesday, suggesting the developer may have resumed production on a new entry in the franchise.

The patent application comes just over a month before the studio’s upcoming project, the TV-game hybrid Quantum Break, sees wide release. Microsoft, the game’s publisher, announced earlier this month that players who pre-order the game on Xbox One will receive a free download code for the Xbox 360 version of Alan Wake and its post-release DLC, which will be playable on the Xbox One. Pre-ordering the game at certain retailers will also net players a download code for the 2012 follow-up, Alan Wake’s American Nightmare.

Meanwhile, an intrepid NeoGAF user also discovered the studio had discretely purchased the web domain “alanwakesreturn.com” last year. The user also pointed out that the second and final piece of Alan Wake DLC, “The Writer,” ends with Wake typing out the title of a new book called “Return.”

A new Alan Wake sequel seemed less than likely after a report from Polygon revealed that Remedy had created a working prototype for a game they called Alan Wake 2. That sequel was eventually shelved when the studio started working on Quantum Break, and some gameplay elements from the prototype were folded into Alan Wake’s American Nightmare.

That said, the studio has always insisted it would return to the franchise, even as it publicly announced it would no longer be developing the sequel in earnest.

“It wouldn’t have been the sequel that Alan Wake deserves to get,” Remedy creative director Sam Lake said in 2014. “But the possibilities are still out there.”

Now, it seems the studio may be ready to try again. Earlier this month, Lake told a masterclass at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie in Paris that the studio had been “iterating” on its plan for an Alan Wake sequel in the years since the sequel was shelved.

“I think that it as been, in a way, fortunate,” Lake said during a masterclass at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie in Paris, “because, you know, we have been iterating the idea of what an Alan Wake sequel could be, and along the way there has been much better ideas that what the concept coming out of Alan Wake was for the sequel.”

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Michael is a New York-based tech and culture reporter, and a graduate of Northwestwern University’s Medill School of…

Gaming

All stash locations in Alan Wake 2 and how to open them

Alan drenched in green light in Alan Wake 2.

FBI agent Saga Anderson and her partner, Alex Casey, are called into Bright Falls to investigate a murder committed by a strange group calling themselves the Cult of the Trees. These dangerous cultists are your main enemy in Alan Wake 2, and they put up quite a fight despite mostly using basic tools as weapons. They seem mindless and primitive, but the fact that they have a series of Cultist Stashes hidden all around the world suggests otherwise. These treasure troves are very well hidden, and they're protected with a small puzzle to try and prevent those who may stumble upon one from grabbing all the goodies inside. You'll find yourself short on supplies essentially all the time in Alan Wake 2, so scooping up some extra ammo and batteries is always welcome. Here is where you can find all the Cultist Stashes in Alan Wake 2 and how to open them.
All Cultist Stash locations
There are a total of 21 Cultist Stashes to find and unlock in Alan Wake 2. Each zone has its own set to find, and they all have different puzzles you need to solve to open them. None are missable, but some can't be obtained until you make story progress or get specific tools.
Bright Falls Cult Stashes

The first Cult Stash you can find comes as soon as you reach the town of Bright Falls for the first time. Instead of going straight to your destination down the block, turn around and head toward the dead end. Behind the truck will be a big locked box. To open this one, all you need to do is play a little game of Simon Says. The keypad will flash three buttons in a sequence that you simply need to repeat to open the box and grab the loot.

Gaming

Alan Wake 2 preload guide: release time, file size, and preorder

Alan Wake stands in front of a movie theater in Alan Wake 2.

It's time to dust off your typewriter, fill up your thermoses with coffee, and dive into your mind palaces because Alan Wake 2 is ready to take us back into the dark and disturbing world of Bright Falls and the Dark Place. Fans have been eagerly awaiting the next chapter in the horror writer's tale for over a decade, and the time to bring all the mysteries to light is nearly upon us. It is quite fitting that this more horror-centric sequel is hitting in the spooky month of October, and now we know precisely when you can join up with Alan and newcomer Saga to hopefully put an end to the evil forces at work. Aside from a flashlight and some fresh batteries, here are all the preload details you need to know for Alan Wake 2.
Alan Wake 2 release time
https://twitter.com/alanwake/status/1715367336956309748?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1715367336956309748%7Ctwgr%5E32782ce1452c87960ab80b088a9d761c97d544aa%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fvideogames.si.com%2Fguides%2Falan-wake-2-release-times-preload

Alan Wake 2 will be released as early as 9 p.m. PT on October 26 and midnight on October 27 on the East Coast, and your local equivalent across the world. The above map shows all the major time zones for you.
Alan Wake 2 file size
According to the PC requirements, Alan Wake 2 needs 90GB of free space, so the game should come in at just about that number. Console file sizes are still unclear, but should be in that same range, so be on the safe side and make sure you have at least 100GB free.
Alan Wake 2 preload options
If you want to get ahead of the game and preload Alan Wake 2 so you can start playing the moment it launches, preloading will become available on October 25, so just one day before the full release in some time zones.
Alan Wake 2 preorder details
If you want to preorder the digital-only Alan Wake 2, you can get either the standard edition with just the game, or the deluxe edition that comes with the expansion pass and some weapon skins and outfits.

Gaming

Alan Wake 2’s Sam Lake explains Twin Peaks: The Return’s ‘bold’ influence

Alan Wake stands in front of a movie theater in Alan Wake 2.

Like Twin Peaks’ Dale Cooper trapped in the Black Lodge, Alan Wake has been in purgatory for a very long time.

Wake found himself stuck in the mysterious Dark Place at the end of his first game, and that would become a poetic tragedy. Funding troubles paired with a Microsoft partnership that would complicate the series’ publishing rights would force developer Remedy to move on to new titles like 2019’s Control. Still, writer Sam Lake would sit on an idea for a sequel for over a decade, just waiting for the moment when it could be freed from its own Dark Place.