If there’s one thing the entertainment industry can agree on, it’s that connected universes are the way to go for most franchises. Though there’s only really been one truly successful example of it, connected universes have become a growing trend in the movie industry, and they’ve even started creeping into the realm of video games. Going a step beyond a long-running franchise with mainline entries and spinoffs, a connected video game universe often draws in characters from across a developer’s history, much likeAlan Wake 2’sRemedy Connected Universe.
Though it’d been hinted at for over a decade, Remedy’s Connected Universe was formally established inControl’sAWEexpansion, where Alan Wake features prominently. ThoughAlan WakeandControlare the only two series officially confirmed to be in Remedy Connected Universe so far, it’s extremely likely that the imminent return of one iconic Remedy action hero will firmly place him in the RCU, and his first official appearance might be right around the corner.
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Alan Wake 2 Should Bring Max Payne Into the Remedy Connected Universe
The Remedy Connected Universe is a fairly simple one right now. As mentioned up top, onlyAlan WakeandControlare officially connected. ThroughoutControl, players can find a handful of references to the events of the firstAlan Wakeand the Dark Presence that Alan faces off against, contextualizing them withControl’s Federal Bureau of Control, an organization designed to capture paranatural entities. In turn, the firstAlan Wakehouses a number of references ot the Bureau, as well as the Oridnary, and the Altered World Events that occur due to their meddling.
A brand-newAlan Wakegame is set to release sometime soon, and according to Remedy’s creative director Sam Lake, it will be set within Remedy’s Connected Universe. That means that fans should expect to see plenty of references to the wider Remedy universe, including plenty of direct connections withControland its titular Bureau and maybe even a cameo fromControl’s central protagonist, Jesse Faden. But there’s one big Remedy series still yet to be integrated within the wider Connected Universe, and that’sMax Payne.
Despite a few Easter eggs and references toMax Paynein the originalAlan Wake, with the main one being Alan’s famous novel character essentially just being a carbon copy of the gruff ex-detective,Max Payneis not officially in the Remedy Connected Universe - at least not yet. Back in April 2022, Remedy announced that it was working on remakes of the first twoMax Paynegames alongside Rockstar. Though a recent report has indicated thattheMax Payneremakes are still in the conceptual phase of development, and therefore might still be a ways off, it’s still the perfect time forMax Payneto be officially brought into the Remedy Connected Universe, withAlan Wake 2providing the perfect platform.
BringingMax Payneinto the Remedy Connected Universe could go one of two ways: either Remedy decides to go all-out and fully embrace the crossover, or it plants the seeds for future crossovers with some subtle references. The much more likely of the two outcomes is definitely the latter. At the bare minimum,Alan Wake 2should include some kind of Easter egg that points to Max Payne’s whereabouts during that time. For instance, a simple newspaper collectible that mentions an NYPD detective gone rogue would be enough to confirm thatAlan Wake 2is set around the same time asthe first twoMax Paynegames, which would finally connect the series to the Remedy Connected Universe.
Alan Wake 2is scheduled to release in 2023 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
