Alan Wake Devs Don't Want Ending in Review Copies

Remedy Entertainment talks to Microsoft about protecting the game's ending.

Alan Wake is an upcoming psychological thriller being developed by Remedy Entertainment. Because the title is heavily based on plot, Remedy Entertainment has been "insanely careful" to ensure the secrecy of the game's storyline. To keep it secure, they are considering going to extreme measures when it comes to review/preview copies.

According to Remedy Entertainment's Managing Director, Matias Myllyrinne, they are trying to convince Microsoft to allow them to keep the final ending out of the game for copies issued pre-release. This will effect primarily game journalists who receive the title early for review.

According to Myllyrinne, the story is crucial to the experience. If the ending was leaked to the Internet, "it [would be] kind of like, if you go to see The Sixth Sense and I whisper in your ear 'Bruce Willis is dead'."

There hasn't been any definitive decision made about the situation, but Myllyrinne clearly stated in his interview with G4 that they are discussing with their "friends at Microsoft whether [they'll] even give the ending of the game for anybody's preview."

P_Hernandez

11/03/2009 at 12:02 AM

Chessa, please tell me this is one cruel joke you guys made up to surprise us...

Seriously, this is one of the most ridiculous statements I have ever heard. I understand that they as creators want people to go in expecting many surprises. But eliminating the ending from review and preview copies? That me is just downright paranoid.

The sad truth is that no matter how secretive you are people WILL post spoilers on the internet. They will post page scans, videos, plot summaries and such. Even if reviewers won't get to see the ending players WILL see it and blab about it.

Also, how can they expect reviewers to do their job properly if they are given only half the product? If they want the story to be given a fair review they HAVE to cave in and show us the ending.

Heh, maybe the ending is a sucky cliffhanger and they don't want reviewers to say "The story was great until I got to the end..."

Nick DiMola Director

11/03/2009 at 09:31 AM

Yeah this is ridiculous. Honestly, the people who care about the product are going to avoid spoilers anyway, so why prevent reviewers from doing their job?

The funny part is that if they don't take it out, you can bet every reviewer in the world is going to make it a point to talk about the ending. All they had to do was leave it be and embargo reviewers from discussing the ending.

PixlBit