Summary
Alan Wake 2’slong-awaited physical release will actually require an additional download on Xbox Series X, with issues surrounding the size of the console’s discs.
Summer Game Fest was a bit of a lackluster affair this year, though Alan Wake 2 fans probably don’t feel that way. Sam Lake proudly danced his way onto the stage to deliver the news that Remedy would beshadow dropping some Night Springs DLC, and that those waiting for a physical release would have their wish granted, withan Alan Wake 2 physical collector’s edition also in the works at Limited Run.
That was great news for those disappointed bythe game’s exclusively digital launch, something thatRemedy struggled to justify at the time, but Xbox fans hoping to grab a physical copy of Alan Wake 2 may need to sit back down. That’s because Alan Wake 2 game director Kyle Rowley revealed on Twitter that the game’s physical Xbox version will require an additional download for it to function properly, kind of defeating the point of a physical release entirely.
Alan Wake 2’s Physical Xbox Release Requires A Download
According to Rowley, the physical version of Alan Wake 2 is only coming on a single disc, and that means the game doesn’t fit on a standard Xbox disc. Thankfully, the increased size of PS5 discs means that the base game and Night Springs DLC will be on the disc for the game’s physical PS5 release, but that’s no good for those locked into the Xbox ecosystem that wanted their own physical copy.
Many have rightly pointed out that Remedy could have just stuck the game on multiple discs for the Xbox version. Games released on multiple discs are not all that strange nowadays, withFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth being the first to require two, while Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian Studios ensured that Xbox fans got their physical releaseby including a whopping four discs.
Rowley hasn’t explained exactly why Remedy or publisher Epic Games aren’t willing to put Alan Wake 2 on two discs for the Xbox version, though production costs are clearly playing a part in some capacity. It definitely sucks for Xbox owners, and the problem will likely only grow due to the smaller size of Xbox discs, but if you do have both consoles, make sure to grab Alan Wake 2’s PS5 physical instead.
Alan Wake 2
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Alan Wake 2 is the sequel to Remedy’s hit survival horror game. It blends two separate stories into one, following FBI agent Saga Anderson as she investigates both a series of brutal murders and a story written by Wake himself.
