Alan Wake to be Pulled from Stores Due to Music Licensing Issues

Alan Wake will be pulled from stores due to issues with their licensed music.


Published: May 12, 2017 6:59 PM /

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If you haven't played Remedy's supernatural thriller Alan Wake by now, you may want to hurry up with getting it while you still can. Due to expiring music licenses for music used in the game, both the digital and the physical version of the game will be pulled from stores worldwide.

The Steam Community post announcing the imminent removal of Alan Wake from store shelves doesn't specify which part of the game's soundtrack had its license expired. It could involve two songs written and performed by Finnish rock band Poets of the Fall, who have contributed music to other Remedy games like Max Payne 2. The two songs in Alan Wake have been written by Poets of the Fall for an in-universe band Wake encounters during his stay in Bright Falls. The game's structure, which borrows heavily from serial tv series, also included a list of licensed songs that feature the likes of David Bowie and Depeche Mode.

Here's the video for the Poets of the Fall song 'War' that features the actor playing Alan Wake in the game, with shots of the band performing getting mixed in with shots of the ghostly enemies that act as a major antagonist in the game itself. Aside from it being relevant to the story, it's also just a really good song that nails the aesthetic of the game perfectly.

Two other songs, which I won't post here for spoiler reasons, were also written by Poets of the Fall for the game's soundtrack. Whether these tracks are the actual reason is anyone's guess at this point, but it seems unlikely that it would be because of the score by composer Petri Alenko, who wrote the soundtrack specifically for the game.

While Remedy is taking steps to renegotiate the licenses and rerelease the game to both online and physical shelves but they cannot say how long this might take.

Because of the uncertain future, Remedy are holding an Alan Wake-themed sale heavily discounting both Alan Wake and the standalone expansion Alan Wake's American Nightmare for a short while, although the latter won't be leaving stores anytime soon since those licenses have already been renegotiated.

https://twitter.com/remedygames/status/863012017833218049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2…

This will be your last chance to grab the game and add it to your collection, where it will remain even after the game has been pulled from stores.

 


 

Quick Take

I absolutely adore the game and its expansion because of its story inspired by Stephen King and the wonderful atmosphere and setting. The game has a wonderfully weird story with a colorful cast of characters. I can heartily recommend this game and this news has reminded me that I need to replay that game soon. 

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Chris Anderson
| Staff Writer

I've been playing games since I was just barely able to walk so I might as well write about them.

More Info About This Game
Learn more about Alan Wake
Game Page Alan Wake
Publisher
Epic Games
Release Date
May 18, 2010 (Calendar)
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