However, the situation with PlayStation – the platform that Remedy and Epic has partnered with for Alan Wake 2 – is different. Xbox is the spiritual home of Alan Wake, and so that’s significant.

'In Europe, the Dead Space remake sold comfortably better in a box than it did as a download' In some cases, publishers are releasing games where over 80% of sales are coming via the Xbox digital store. In some markets, Xbox Series S is the most popular Xbox platform, and as a result, Xbox has become a major digital platform. The observation around the digital-only consoles is also accurate. It is uncommon to see a game of this type be released digital-only. But we are not talking about some smaller project here with no established audience, we’re talking about a visually impressive survival horror sequel from the award-winning developer behind Max Payne and Control. It is not uncommon to release modern games as digital-only.’

In an FAQ on the developer’s website, the company explained its decision, and began by stating: ‘You can buy a Sony PlayStation 5 without a disc drive and Microsoft’s Xbox Series S is a digital only console. The survival horror game from Remedy (and published by Epic Games) looked great, but there was a surprise piece of information that came out afterwards: it will be a digital-only release. One of the games shown during Sony’s latest PlayStation Showcase this week was Alan Wake 2.

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