Alan Wake 2 developer Remedy Entertainment has completely rebooted its multiplayer project, with plans to take the project in an entirely different direction.
In an official press statement Remedy announced that it’s planning a “reboot of its cooperative, free-to-play multiplayer game project codenamed ‘Vanguard’, hereafter [codenamed] ‘Kestrel’”.
Project Vanguard was first announced in December of 2021, and Remedy was reportedly hoping to get a ‘proof-of-concept’ finished by the end of this year. However, that won’t be the case, as “due to uncertainties in creating a successful game to the rapidly changing free-to-play market and associated risks, the parties have discussed a new direction for the game project”.
Remedy has also stated that, while the entire project has been renamed ‘Kestrel’ and will be returning to a concept phase, members of the team who worked on Project Vanguard will be moved onto other projects that are currently in development at the studio, while core team members stay to work on the new direction for the game.
Remedy has stated that Project Kestrel will be a “premium game with a strong cooperative multiplayer component” and that it will “lean more into Remedy’s core strengths”. It’s currently unclear as to what form this new version of the game will take, and whether or not it’ll be sticking to the original vision described.
As for Remedy’s latest release, NME’s Vikki Blake gave Alan Wake 2 five stars out of five, writing:
“Few games, if any, ramp up the tension as masterfully as Alan Wake 2, and beyond the handful of safe havens sprinkled across the locations, you’ll rarely feel safe, its shockingly effective sound design making it difficult to relax at all.”
In related news, the surprise hit from Alan Wake 2, ‘Herald of Darkness’, will be launched on Spotify and other streaming platforms later this week.