On May 15th, 2017 tragedy struck. Alan Wake the popular psychological thriller video game has quietly slipped away and is now unavailable for purchase by fans and gamer’s. The game was discontinued to the expiring of the games music licenses, as such this applies to both the PC and Xbox 360 versions and the game will disappear from the likes of Steam, GOG, and the Xbox Store.
For those who are unfamiliar with the game Alan Wake follows best-selling thriller novelist Alan Wake, as he tries to uncover the mystery behind his wife’s disappearance during a vacation in the small fictional town of Bright Falls, Washington, all while experiencing events from the plot in his latest novel, which he cannot remember writing, coming to life. The game was written by Sam Lake and took over five years to create and release, the game was praised for its use of visuals, sound, narrative and pacing. The game was so popular that it was number 1 on Time magazine’s list of the top 10 video games of 2010.
A sequel for the bestselling game was begun then cancelled while a fully standalone title Alan Wakes American Nightmare was released in 2012. Remedy has stated that they are “looking into re-licensing the music,” to allow for the game to be sold again but they have no timeline for when or if such a deal will be made. While the music listening, deal does not affect those who already own the game or the games follow up Alan Wakes American Nightmare.
Sadly the death of many a game comes not from lack of sales but from issues relating to licensing, whether that be music or artwork. that is why it is best to pick up games while you can, so that you are not left in the dark much as Alan Wake was.
Were you able to get your hands on a copy of Alan Wake before it went dark? Let us know int he comments below!
