The cult-favorite action-adventure/psychological thriller video game Alan Wake is getting a television adaptation, courtesy of AMC (The Walking Dead, Better Call Saul).
Per IGN, Remedy Entertainment -- the developer behind Alan Wake -- announced that AMC has acquired the rights to develop a TV series based on the fan-favorite game. "We were quite a while ago talking about the Alan Wake TV show," Remedy creative director Sam Lake said. "Well, AMC, the wonderful, wonderful home for absolutely brilliant TV shows has bought the rights for Alan Wake. And we have been collaborating on making a TV show happen."
Developed by Remedy and published by Microsoft Game Studios, Alan Wake originally released for the Xbox 360 in May 2010. Remedy self-published a PC version of the game, which followed suit in February 2012 (March 2012 in Europe). Alan Wake Remastered, a definitive re-release of the game, was published by Epic Games Publishing, launching for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S in October 2021. A Nintendo Switch version is expected to arrive later this year.
A supernatural episodic adventure, Alan Wake follows the titular best-selling thriller novelist, who tries to get to the bottom of his wife's mysterious disappearance after the two go on vacation. The game's developers have described it as having "the mind of a psychological thriller" and "the body of a cinematic action game." While the devs do not consider it to be an out-and-out survival horror game, IGN did award Alan Wake the honor of "Best Horror Game" as part of its Best Xbox 360 Games of 2010 list.
A spinoff game, Alan Wake's American Nightmare, released for Xbox 360 and PC in 2012. Alan Wake II, a direct sequel to the original, was officially announced at The Game Awards 2021. Developed by Remedy and Published by Epic Games, Alan Wake II is slated to launch for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S sometime in 2023.
Talks of a live-action TV adaptation of Alan Wake date back to 2018. There certainly seems to be an increased interest in TV shows based on video games as of late, between Paramount+'s Halo and upcoming projects like HBO's The Last of US, Peacock's Twisted Metal and Prime Video's Fallout.
Source: IGN