Quantum Break Has Hidden Trailer for "Alan Wake's Return"

On February 25 a trademark for something called Alan Wake's Return appeared online, sparking speculation that developer Remedy Entertainment may be returning to the property for something new. Now, it has been revealed that a live-action trailer for Alan Wake's Return will be included in the studio's next game, Quantum Break. However, it still isn't clear exactly what this is.

Polygon reports that, in an early section of Quantum Break, players can interact with a TV and watch a cinematic trailer for a live-action adaptation of Alan Wake.

The tailer ends with a title card that reads "RETURN," which is also the name of a manuscript that can be found in Alan Wake's American Nightmare, a downloadable standalone DLC expansion released for the Xbox 360.

As of yet, it is unclear if this is simply an easter egg or an indication that Remedy is indeed cooking up something new for Alan Wake. Trademarking the name doesn't necessarily mean a new game is on the way, it may just be the studio protecting the name.

Sam Lake, Remedy's creative director, has repeatedly said the studio would like to return to Alan Wake some day.

"We're really, really proud of all the games we have made," he said. "And obviously all of them are dear to us. They have a special place in our hearts. You never know about the future and as we have said about Alan Wake, the sequel didn't work out at this point. But definitely we are looking for opportunities to do more, someday, when the time is right."

Lake has also previously said that designs for an Alan Wake sequel were put together after the first game was released, but were abandoned. Since then, he claims, Remedy has come up with much better ideas for Alan Wake 2.

"We have been iterating the idea of what an Alan Wake sequel could be, and along the way there has been much better ideas than what the concept coming out of Alan Wake was for the sequel. "

Quantum Break, meanwhile, will launch on April 5 across Xbox One and PC. The Windows edition will be sold exclusively through the Windows 10 store; it will not be available on Steam.

Those that preorder the digital Xbox One edition gets a free copy of the Windows 10 PC version. The console and PC versions support cross-save between them.