On October 5, 2021, Epic Games Publishing and Remedy Entertainment released Alan Wake Remastered for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. Aside from the unique light-based gameplay, the title features excellent music from composer Petri Alanko and the band Poets of the Fall.
Recently, I was able to sit down with Alanko and Remedy Entertainment"s Director of Communications, Thomas Puha, to talk about Alan Wake"s musical ties, more details about the developer"s partnership with Poets of the Fall, the game"s unique musical transitions, and its struggles with licensing.
Alanko and Puha revealed a number of details about Alan Wake"s music, but a highlight has to be how Creative Director Sam Lake sent personal letters to the artists whose music he wanted in the game. In the letters, he discussed why their tracks were meaningful to him and how they would enhance the experience of the game.
A few years ago, Alan Wake was pulled from sale from digital storefronts due to expiring music licenses. Alanko and Puha said that this was mostly due to the fact that Remedy didn"t expect it to have such longevity through digital distribution. Luckily, Microsoft was able to step in and re-license the tracks.
Nostalgia is a powerful feeling and without the original music for the game, Alan Wake Remastered just wouldn"t have been the same. New and returning players wouldn"t have been able to experience the original vision of the game had the music been replaced with other tunes or outright removed.
You can purchase Alan Wake Remastered from the Microsoft Store or the platform of your choice for $29.99. The game runs at 1440p resolution and 60 frames per second on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.