Remedy knows the co-op multiplayer genre is a challenging space to break into but seeks to expand its player base with live service Control spinoff, Project Condor.
Last month, Remedy said the success of Alan Wake 2 is bolstering the development of other projects like Control 2, the Max Payne 1 and 2 remakes, and Project Condor, a four-player co-op game set in the Control universe. Now, Remedy communications director Thomas Puha said in a tweet that the studio is "well aware of how challenging the co-op multiplayer space is," adding:
"I'd like to think we have realistic expectations (outside the company expectations always seem to be wild), but also be realistic that you never can plan and prepare for everything, just gotta roll with the punches. Tbh, every published game seems a small miracle these days."
For a variety of reasons, not least of which the shady methods by which some publishers monetize their games, the term live service has become something of a buzzword in the last several years, often associated with tedious grinding and cash-grabbing antics. Single player studios, in particular, raise eyebrows when they announce multiplayer side projects with live service roadmaps, as was the case with Naughty Dog's The Last of Us multiplayer game before it was canceled.
"A thing I find fascinating is whenever our WIP multiplayer stuff gets mentioned, like Condor from our financial report last week, is some level of concern around why and do our fans want it," Puha said, adding:
"They way I look at is, it's for fans we don't have yet! We need to grow our audience and I welcome the challenge. Doing different types of games is good if super challenging these days, even if we also know to stick to mostly what we know best and keep improving on that."
Despite being nearly three years on from its announcement, we still don't know a whole lot about Remedy's multiplayer spin on Control, aside from it being structured mainly around four-player PvE and based in the same world of weird fiction bureaucracy as our 2019 game of the year.
We also know from Remedy's latest annual report that the Control spinoff will be a "service-based fixed price" game, which means it'll "have a lower initial price point but a long tail of revenue through updates, game expansions and potentially microtransactions."
Back when it was first announced in June 2021, Control franchise director Mikael Kasurinen similarly acknowledged that there's pervading skepticism around the multiplayer space. "I believe we can create shared experiences without compromising the unique DNA of who we are, or the stories we want to tell," he said at the time.
It's good to see Remedy addressing its community's very valid concerns, and if there's one studio I'd trust to get this right, it probably would be the Alan Wake 2 makers, but only time will tell if they manage to deliver on their lofty promise of a live service Control that still feels like a Remedy game.
In the meantime, here's how we ranked the best Remedy games from Alan Wake 2 to the Fall of Max Payne.
