Downloadable Alan Wake?

By Tom Bramwell Published 31 May, 2005

Remedy ponders Steam-y option.

Remedy Entertainment has revealed that it may consider the use of a digital distribution model, similar to the Steam content download service Valve uses for its Half-Life titles, for the PC version of its next-generation action-adventure Alan Wake.

Speaking in an interview with Eurogamer published today, the game's design lead Petri Järvilehto said: "That's something we're looking into," but also said that the company wanted to offer "a good boxed copy with manuals and all that as well".

Järvilehto also indicated that he didn't share Half-Life developer Valve Software's level of enthusiasm for the idea. Valve has increasingly marginalised its efforts with regard to boxed copies, constantly bickering with now-former publishing partner Vivendi-Universal Games, launching Half-Life 2 with just an A5 sheet of paper in place of the traditional game manual, and promoting its Steam download options heavily.

Järvilehto, however, thinks that full-on digital distribution without boxed copies is some way off. "As of now, I don't think that digital distribution-only would be an option," he told Eurogamer.

It's an opinion that many seem to share. Even Valve, which recently confirmed to this website that it does plan to release a boxed copy of forthcoming Half-Life 2 expansion Aftermath after all, despite initially suggesting that it would release the game exclusively through Steam.

Remedy has yet to announce a publishing partner for Alan Wake, which is due out on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC, but says it is in discussion with "the key players", and will "lock down the right partner once the time is right for that".

You can read the full Remedy interview here.

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About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000. Follow him on Twitter.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (14) Latest comment 7 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • ukdm #1 7 years ago

    Pretty much everyone I know hates the Steam way of doing things. On the other hand, I haven't heard anyone complain about the Guild War system. You have to connect to play but it doesn't seem anywhere near as intrusive as Steam. Maybe that is the way to keep people's copies legal -- have them sign up for an account and get them to log in every time they want to play, simple. The only people who lose out are those without a net connection.

    You could also have a setup like Napster2Go, you have to login to keep the game working but you only have to do it a minimum of say, once a month. This would allow for play without a net connection e.g. on a laptop during a train journey.

  • OldWormsFan #2 7 years ago

    http://www.play.com/play247.asp?pa=search&searchtype=allproducts&searchstring=Xbox+360&page=search&Go.x=35&Go.y=4

    Xbox360 400 squids!

  • WangFu #3 7 years ago

    Steam's great. It meant I could play Half Life 2 on the day of release, no waiting, and no petrol wasted going down to the shops (although it did actually cost more...). My only Steam gripe is the Friend's list breaking every update...

    I really do hope more games go the route of online distribution.
    Edited by WangFu at 31/05/05 @ 14:09

  • Teeth #4 7 years ago

    With WangFu here, no problems with Steam at all in the least bit, except the friends list :)

  • Xerx3s #5 7 years ago

    I want a f*cking box/manuall/limited edition/poster/fankit/etc. When I pay 40 to 60 € for a game, i want all that. In fact, i DEMAND all that. Simple, no box?, no pay!.

  • bionutz #6 7 years ago

    yeah, I'm surprized I can't buy Guild Wars online, without any box, you know, use visa card, download client and everything related to it... I want to get it as cheap as possible and I'm not looking in the manual anyway. Learning to play the game IS part of the game itself, or at least should! See Zelda for instance, or the first level of UT.

  • gibbondrives #7 7 years ago

    OldWormsFan: play.com had the PSP at sorts of prices until they started selling them.

    I doubt the xbox 360 will come out for £400, that's just play putting a placeholder price in. Although the game prices seem about right.

  • jumpdeveraux #8 7 years ago

    No problems with Steam here either.

    Expect a lot more attempts at content distribution systems going forward. I still expect a discount for buying online and shortcutting distribution channel costs. I can live with a PDF manual.

  • SleepyMagpie #9 7 years ago

    I like boxes too. But since shelfspace, boxes and manuals and special edition nerd stash became the domain and stranglehold of publishers on developers I had to make a decision.

    See, what you box-huggers don't seem to get is that Steam, altho far from perfect, is an attempt by developers and other CREATIVES to snatch power over their product back from the grabbing vultures that are the huge publisher supercorps like EA et al..

    This way they MIGHT be able to produce some content of worth again, aside from the reprocessed shite that the publisher are very content to foist down the moo moo publics´ regurgitating mouths again, thank you very much.

    Steam will get better.

    And better games are worth more than manuals and shiny nerd badges.

    Content is it, not fluff.

  • bionutz #10 7 years ago

    Yes, I think you're right, I also want to pay the money only to the developers, I hate publishing houses, making games expensive and taking the stupidest marketing decisions.
    I that line of thought, I was very happy to finally buy Opera...

  • Shrui #11 7 years ago

    I can't understand the desire to have a box, manual, poster, T-shirt etc. All that special edition shit that gets put out is to cash in on the stupid. My room is cluttered with boxes (yes even DVD case sized ones piss me off), my desk strewn with play discs if I play more than one game at a time, possibly risking damage.

    The game is what matters and, with only a few exceptions, no game should ever be released these days that actually REQUIRES you to read the manual. And for the ones that do we have PDF files.

    On the other hand when we do get to the stage of having pure downloadable games I won't be holding my breath for the pricing being cheaper. Call me mister cynical but I just don't see it happening.

  • Roccus #12 7 years ago

    yeah, I'm surprized I can't buy Guild Wars online, without
    any box, you know, use visa card, download client and
    everything related to it... I want to get it as cheap as
    possible and I'm not looking in the manual anyway. Learning
    to play the game IS part of the game itself, or at least
    should! See Zelda for instance, or the first level of UT.
    erm, you can https://store.plaync.com/home.php

  • tratch #13 7 years ago

    I got HL2 opening day via Steam and have had 0 problems since then. I actually like the idea a lot, I have no need for boxes (they get thrown away) or manuals (my cat attacks them) or cds (I lose or break them). My only qualm is with the pricing. Since we're only getting the game, drop the price by 15% or so and add more incentive to actually use the online content distribution system rather than expecting people to go for it "just because".

  • jellyhead #14 7 years ago

    The only problem i have with steam is that i have yet to have it update HL2 successfully. It updates it, says it was successful and then HL2 refuses to run. marvelous, thankyou very much steam.
    So if i want to play HL2 i have to use the backup of the working version that steam made for me when i installed it, didn't trust steam even then.
    OR i can uninstall the game reinstall it in 15 mins, spend 45 mins uncompressing it then spend an hour downloading the updates. All the while i'll be sat at an altar to Gordon praying my heart out that it works.

    Nice and quick install that, yeah. great.
    HL2 = Good.
    Steam = Bad.

    oh and to do all that i have to take my pc around to a friends house at my own expense. thanks Valve. I think the a & e need replacing with u & a.