Beelzebud wrote on May 9, 2012, 11:22:
Hmm it's almost like PC gaming isn't dead, and that PC gamers buy games. Whodathunkit?

Maybe now we won't be treated like 2nd class citizens.... ...as much.

Hmm it's almost like PC gaming isn't dead, and that PC gamers buy games. Whodathunkit?

Alan Wake has been a successful adventure for Remedy and PC gamers; in just 48 hours the Finnish developer managed to recoup marketing and development costs, debuted at number one on the Steam charts, and has captivated the long forgotten PC audience. Not bad for a game that launched two years prior as an Xbox 360 exclusive.

Regardless of launch issues and piracy, the title has managed to shift 1.4 million units since launch, which isn't exactly outstanding. Considering a large number of those units would be free download tokens included with Xbox 360 consoles during a Christmas promotion held by Microsoft, it seems that the 360 version of the game was a complete failure when it comes to sales.

Then along comes the PC port two years later, which managed to sell like proverbial hotcakes on a Sunday morning. Despite managing to recoup all marketing and development costs in just 48 hours, less than a month after launch the PC version had sold approximately 600,000 to bump the franchise up to 2 million sales across both platforms.

Considering a lengthy development period of five years, the cost of developing the Xbox 360 version would have been exorbitant. Those 1.4 million sales would have been lucky to break even, no matter how much Microsoft Game Studios subsidised the development process. Yet in just two days, Alan Wake became profitable for the developers on the PC platform. That's definitely something worth taking note of.

So considering the original title sold approximately 1.4 million on the Xbox 360, the adoption rate of this stand-alone title is a mere 3.93%. Considering the recently released Trials: Evolution managed to ship 100,000 units during its first 24 hours, some could consider Alan Wake's American Nightmare a mediocre performer once again from a sales standpoint.

With the announcement that PC gamers will also get their chance to jump head first into the twisted world of American Nightmare in less than two weeks, it will be interesting to see how this one plays out. While Xbox 360 gamers had to wait two years for another taste of Alan Wake, PC aficionados have only had to wait two months.

Alan Wake may have visited the Xbox 360 first, but he found a home on the PC. It is through his new home that Remedy can sleep easy at night, knowing that someone out there is willing to vote with their wallet for more adventures and stories from our favourite novelist.

nin wrote on May 8, 2012, 22:20:
That was surprisingly fast.

The original is on sale on steam and I believe amazon, starting at $15.