Why Alan Wake 2 Doesn't Have A Physical Disc Version

Alan Wake 2 is set for release this October, and after an impressive new trailer for the game arrived at PlayStation Showcase, developer Remedy published an FAQ that confirmed there will be no disc-based version of the title.

But why? In the FAQ, Remedy said for starters, a "large number" of people now buy digital games exclusively. The developer pointed out that both Microsoft and Sony offer consoles without disc drives and further stated, "It is not uncommon to release modern games as digital-only."

Second, Remedy said not offering a disc helps the studio keep the price of the game at $60 on console and $50 on PC. Many high-profile games have seen their prices increase from $60 to $70 on console, but Alan Wake 2 will not be one of them.

Remedy also said it didn't want to release Alan Wake 2 on a disc and then have people download a large day-one patch anyway. It's not uncommon for disc-based games to require hefty downloads. For example, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II's disc has 70 MB of data on it, and players need to then download 100GB or more of game data to play it.

Could this change in the future? Anything can happen, but Remedy said for now, "there are currently no plans to release Alan Wake 2 on disc."

THQ Nordic reminded people on Twitter that it created the disc version of the original Alan Wake years ago. "Just because ONE person (or company) does not love physical, there is plenty who still do. Give it some thought. We'd love to go at it again. Full circle and all," the company said in a tweet directed at Remedy.

Alan Wake 2 launches on October 17 for PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It features two playable characters, each with their own storyline. One storyline follows an FBI profiler named Saga Anderson, and the other tells the story of the writer Alan Wake.

The original Alan Wake was released all the way back in 2010, and was published by Microsoft. Epic Games published Alan Wake Remastered and partnered with Remedy again for Alan Wake 2.

For lots more on the latest Alan Wake 2 trailer, check out GameSpot's breakdown below that digs into some of the mysterious clues. You can also read up on everything announced at PlayStation Showcase 2023 in our roundup.