Alan Wake 2 developer Remedy partners with Tencent for Vanguard

Remedy, the developer of Alan Wake 2 and Control, has partnered with Tencent to publish and localise Vanguard, its upcoming free-to-play title, in Asian markets.

According to the two companies' agreement, Remedy will handle global publishing outside of Asia, as well as game development. It also reveals that the game is being developed with the Unreal Engine for "PC and console platforms," and that Tencent will "co-finance" Vanguard alongside Remedy, which has a "AAA game budget."The Chinese conglomerate has also acquired the worldwide rights to develop and publish a mobile version of the new game.

"Vanguard is Remedy's first foray into the Games-as-a-Service business model, which has been executed by our top-tier team of free-to-play experts." "Tero Virtala, CEO of Remedy Entertainment, explains. "On top of Remedy's strengths, we're creating something new and exciting for the co-operative multiplayer space. The next step in our company's development is to broaden our capabilities to include publishing responsibilities.

"We are excited for this long-term partnership with Tencent and with confidence can say that it is an excellent fit in supporting Vanguard’s ambitious plans. Vanguard is a global opportunity, and Tencent can support Remedy internationally, and lead the operations in Asia and the mobile markets."

According to Gamesradar Surprisingly, the agreement states that the game is "codenamed" Vanguard, which differs from what everyone previously assumed, and that it will remain "Remedy's original intellectual property." The new title, which is described as a free-to-play, cooperative PvE shooter, will combine "Remedy's narrative expertise and action gameplay into an immersive multiplayer experience" and is currently in the "proof-of-concept" phase.

Alan Wake 2, Remedy's other hotly anticipated title, will retain its third-person perspective while bringing back Matthew Porretta to play the titular character. The sequel was revealed earlier this month at The Game Awards 2021, but unlike the original game, this sequel is reportedly going full survival horror.

Sam Lake, the studio head of Remedy Games and a writer/director, tweeted at the time: "Thank you for sharing our enthusiasm for Alan Wake 2. Before we go dark to continue the work, a couple of quick clarifications. This is, indeed, a third-person shooter. Yes, Ilkka Villi and Matthew Porretta reprise their roles as Alan Wake."