Gamers hoping for a Steam release for Alan Wake 2 would be disappointed since Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney had confirmed that the survival horror title would be staying exclusive to the Epic Games Store on PC. This started as information shared on Reddit, confirmed by Sweeney himself, and had cleared any and all speculations related to the title.
The confirmation came because of a query posed by a Reddit user called Will, who emailed Sweeney about whether the game would be on Steam or not. In his response, Sweeney stated simply, “Alan Wake 2 is not coming to Steam.” Epic Games are the game’s publisher and also its financial backer; thus, the game unlikely seems to be heading for the competing platforms.
Some in the gaming community may be dismayed by the news, primarily players who prefer Steam to the Epic Games Store. Will in his message explained he would like to buy Alan Wake 2 but was averse to using Epic’s platform, saying, “I understand Epic funded the game, but I am sure you guys would make a lot of money if you put it on Steam eventually.” In response, Sweeney pointed out that Epic still believes in keeping the game exclusive to its storefront.
This announcement adds another wrinkle to the financial narrative behind Alan Wake 2. While it sold about 1.8 million copies at the time since its release in 2023, it may have yet to pay its production costs back. There was some speculation among fans that sales would get a big boost if the game were indeed to be released on Steam. However, after this announcement, the title will have to depend on its current platforms for financial recovery well into the foreseeable future.
While Alan Wake 2 has received generally favorable reviews for its atmospheric storytelling and gameplay, this latest development highlights the divisive nature of storefront exclusivity. For now, fans unwilling to adopt the Epic Games Store will have to consider console options or forego the game entirely.
