Alan Wake arriving early in Europe

Alan Wake will be released in Europe a full week ahead of its original release date, Microsoft has announced. The Remedy-developed psychological action thriller was originally scheduled for release in Europe on May 21 but has been moved forward to May 14. The game is still set for release on May 18 in North America.

Alan Wake tells the story of a best-selling author who retreats with his wife to a small secluded town in hopes of recovering from a severe creativity block. His self-imposed rehabilitation is cut short when his wife disappears and the town of Bright Falls becomes a dangerous realisation of his latest work.

Alan Wake was announced at the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo as an Xbox 360 and PC title but has had a number of setbacks throughout its development. Also, after hints of a delay to the PC version, earlier this year Microsoft confirmed that it had been put on indefinite hold.