Yesterday, rumors began to spread over the possible and likely developement of Alan Wake 2 after an artist’s LinkedIn profile showcased a month’s worth of work on the cinematic elements in the game. Added on the reports of developer Remedy Entertainment using new tech which promises better facial animations than L.A.Noire’s MotionScan and itching to expand the story, it all but confirmed that a second game was in the works.

However when Eurogamer talked with Remedy's head of franchise development Oskari Hakkinen, he made a surprising revelation: that Alan Wake is in fact returning but not in the way that most fans are expecting. Explaining that only a portion of the Remedy team has been working on the project for “the last months,” Alan Wake 2 is shaping up to be something special.

"Fans of the franchise will be excited to learn that yes, more Wake is coming! But to be absolutely certain to avoid confusion, this next Wake installment will not be Alan Wake 2. And neither will it be DLC."

According to Haikkinen, the game will not only give fans of the series something to latch onto and enjoy, but also give something to the new players “to finally jump on board.” Unfortunately, Haikkinen was tight-lipped on any further information on the game, including if we would possibly see more at E3, which is only a month away.

"We can't wait to show you more, bear with us. Release dates, platforms and pricing are unconfirmed as of yet, but Fall 2011 is probably a good guess."

As for the proverbial “beans being spilt,” Hakkinen was more amused than anything else, stating that while the announcement came a little earlier than anticipated, it’s comforting to know that the fans are waiting in anticipation.

“It's great to see that there is interest out there - it really would seem Alan Wake is very close to the hearts of the fans out there, and to ours too.”

So, with the new possibility that Alan Wake 2 will be more of a prequel, or perhaps even a stand-alone game still in the same storyline, how does that work for you? Remedy Entertainment has already proven that they can make a captivating and enthralling game, so to bring that into another title still in the same vein can only benefit everyone involved. Hopefully as E3 creeps closer, we may here more.

Alan Wake is currently out now for the Xbox 360.

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Source: Eurogamer