Alan Wake II is now Remedy's fastest-selling game at 1.3 million copies in 4 months

Alan Wake II took Remedy Entertainment thirteen years to release and was worth the wait. And the gaming studio just announced that as of February, the game has sold 1.3 million copies, outpacing Control in half the time.

It's great to hear that the game is doing so well, as there's no physical release and it's an Epic store exclusive, and both things hinder that. But the game itself is highly praised by critics and fans. It made our 2023 gaming recap list (and could have been all eleven slots). And its absolutely ridiculous musical number's official music video has 6.4 million views and counting.

1.3 million copies sounds awesome, but that unfortunately doesn't mean the game is profitable yet; even their press release says so. Remedy's games always continue to sell pretty steadily thanks to word-of-mouth from gamers (Control just hit 4 million!). And it keeps raking in the awards, too, winning best narrative at the Game Awards and just won Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction at the DICE Awards.

And the fact that Alan Wake II is outpacing their other titles and still has two future DLCs on the docket means it's (hopefully) not going to slow down anytime soon. The first DLC, titled "Night Springs," is due this spring and will be a meta walk through the in-game cult TV show. The second, "The Lake House," is still TBD and is rumored to really tie in to Control.

It's strange yet delightful to see Alan Wake popping up more in the mainstream world of gaming since the first was such a cult following and it took so long for the sequel to come to fruition. He's a playable character in Dead by Daylight. He's a skin in Fortnite. The cast got to perform "Herald of Darkness" live at the Game Awards.

And that word of mouth from those who have played it keeps that train rolling forward. Alan Wake II deserves the praise its received. You can tell the whole cast and crew poured their hearts into this sequel, and the physical portrayal of Ilkka Villi and the voice acting of Matthew Porretta are both top-notch, some of the best in video games.

If you played the first Alan Wake, it's crazy to see just how far the studio has come in the last thirteen years, showcasing their flair for storytelling and how well they've come to blend live-action with gaming graphics. Heck, if you played Control in 2019, you'll appreciate the strides the studio has made in the last four years.

So keep the sales going, Alan Wake II. After all, it's not a loop. It's a spiral.