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1st January 2023
Year In Review [2022]

09:00  Rachel  

Happy New Year! At the start of every year, we look back at the past twelve months; at the events we looked forward to and the events that came as a complete surprise. We knew that CrossfireX was likely to be released in early 2022, but we also celebrated the unexpected launch of Alan Wake Remastered on Nintendo Switch, heard that Max Payne 1&2 were being redeveloped, saw Remedy Sweden open their doors, and discovered AMC purchase the rights for the Alan Wake TV series. It was a strange 2022!

The wrap-up format has changed quite a bit over the years, but we adopted this current calendar list style for our 2016 review, and it's sort of stuck ever since. If you're interested in previous retrospectives, take a look here: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. Thank you for spending 2022 with us!

Here's what happened across those past twelve months...


 2021 - Year In Review
In 2021, we had the reveal of Alan Wake Remastered AND Alan Wake 2, the launch of the Remedy Store, and a new Poets of the Fall single. There were also anniversaries with Max Payne turning 20 and Quantum Break turning 5. 

January

5th January - Alan Wake January 2022 Patch Notes
The first patch for Alan Wake Remastered owners went live in early January. The update helped fix reported issues including clipping, mono audio, and screen tearing, as well as general improvements.
20th January - Control UE Joins Amazon Luna
Originally announced in mid-September 2020, Control Ultimate Edition joined the Amazon Luna catalogue, opening the doors to the FBC to a new audience in mid-January.
Everyone needs a good writing buddy! In January, the official Alan Wake Facebook page announced a giveaway in which three lucky followers would win an Alan Wake desk standee.

24th January - CMAD 2022
Community Manager Appreciation Day started back in 2010 when Jeremiah Owyang launched a campaign to encourage communities to thank those that bridge the gap between the audience and the company. Thanks Vida & Antonela! 
Throughout October 2021, Remedy treated fans to three posters, celebrating the launch of Alan Wake Remastered. In late January, the studio published the fourth and final piece of the collection, featuring Thomas Zane.
To kickstart 2022, the Control community celebrated #JesseJanuary by sharing their screenshots. Originally created by Lily Ashby (@LaSimilicious), the celebration was adopted by the official channels. (Virtual photography by @LaSimilicious)



February
As the month ticked over, players were able to pre-order CrossfireX and reload it onto their Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles.
4th February - The Sudden Stop Turns Ten
We turned ten! To celebrate, we had a giveaway featuring a hand-signed Poets of the Fall album, a competition with limited edition Control camping mugs, and interviewed Remedy's Community Manager, Vida Starčević.
Following a successful application to the Tampere Film Festival, Ilkka Villi (the physical actor for Alan Wake) announced his directorial debut in his upcoming short film, ToDo.
On February 10th, the highly-anticipated CrossfireX launched on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles! The title was a collaboration between Smilegate and Remedy which has been years in the making.
In their 2021 financial review, the studio discusses progress on the "Condor", "Vanguard", and Alan Wake 2 projects. They also provide the codename for the bigger-budget Control project currently in the concept stage as "Heron".
Control departed Xbox Game Pass in mid-February, along with Code Vein, Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age, The Medium, Project Winter, and The Falconeer.
Ten years ago, Alan Wake launched on PC! Previously an Xbox 360-exclusive title, Remedy partnered up with Nordic Games (now THQ Nordic) to bring the game to PC.
Poets of the Fall released a subtle first teaser for their next big thing, changing their social media pages to a black and gold colour scheme, and releasing what looked to be a countdown. 
Alan Wake's American Nightmare turned ten in February! The spin-off action game brought fans to Night Springs to face Wake's evil doppelganger, Mr Scratch. To celebrate, players and devs shared their memories of the title.
25th February - Steam Deck Launches
Valve celebrated the launch of the Steam Deck in late February with a number of titles verified including Control Ultimate Edition (which featured in early promotions), Alan Wake and American Nightmare.
After collecting questions from the community, we spoke to Remedy's Community Manager, Vida Starčević about moving to Finland, working at the studio, and her process on handling multiple projects.

March
4th March - Remedy's Statement of Support for Ukraine
Following the attack on Ukraine, Remedy posted a statement on social media of support for the country, alongside a financial donation of 50,000€ to the Red Cross.
8th March - Poets of the Fall Reveals Ghostlight
In early March, Poets of the Fall revealed that their highly-anticipated ninth studio album, Ghostlight, will be released on April 29th. Fans wouldn't have to wait that long though, with a single promised for April 1st. 
8th March - Smilegate Releases CrossfireX Update 2.1.2.5
One month after the launch of CrossfireX, Smilegate rolled out a new patch focusing on multiplayer improvements. The long list of improvements, new features and bug fixes came from player feedback.
In March, Remedy launched its official newsletter, A Dose of Remedy, for the fans of their games as well as interested media.
22nd March - IGDA Helsinki Returns Physical Meetups
On March 22nd, the first of the meetups, IGDA Helsinki, took place in Kamppi after almost two years of remote gatherings! This event was sponsored by Remedy, Ubisoft RedLynx, and Supercell.



April
The In Control (@CaptureControl) Twitter page kicked off its month-long celebrations dedicated to Jesse's debut adventure and its wonderful virtual photography community. Each day, followers would receive a daily prompt to photograph.

As promised, Poets of the Fall's latest single, Requiem for My Harlequin, was released in April. Filled with performers, the music video is fast-paced, weirdly heartbreaking, and packed with drama and emotion. 

Early April marked Quantum Break's sixth anniversary. To celebrate, we asked fans about their favourite moment from the game. Meantime, Erika live-streamed the adventure and Charlie showed us his completed lithograph zine. 

In a surprise announcement, Remedy revealed that a remaster of Max Payne 1 & 2 was now in development following successful talks with Rockstar, the owner of the Max Payne IP.
14th April - Control Spotlighted in Xbox Free Play Days
In mid-April, Xbox Live Gold & Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members could play Control, The Elder Scrolls Online, and Hunting Simulator 2 for free as part of Xbox's Free Play Days.



Focusing on diversity, sustainability, and inclusion, Remedy's Financial Development Manager, Elina Petäjäjärvi, created a survey for stakeholders to collect information about what values they hold important. 


For our first Community Spotlight of 2022, we returned to the Federal Bureau of Control with a look back at Sarah's breathtaking portfolio and her #OldestHouseOctober art challenge!  (Art by @Sitriga)


In their April update, CrossfireX's multiplayer campaign was in the spotlight, with a brand new map (Naval Base - Search & Destroy) and a new weapon (Flashbang), along with general improvements.


Poets of the Fall (the real-life band behind Old Gods of Asgard) celebrated the launch of their ninth studio album, Ghostlight, in late April! Just days ahead of the start of their European tour.


The Control community team took on In Control's #AlteredApril challenge in a new livestream. Vida and Antonela tasked James with trying to complete all thirty virtual photography prompts set out.




May
Following a successful listing application, Remedy Entertainment Plc began trading on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd following a transfer from First North Growth Market Finland.
Ahead of Alan Wake's 12th anniversary, Vida Starčević sat down with Sam Lake, Ilkka Villi, and Matthew Porretta to talk about the series. The milestone also led to a wave of gorgeous new fan artwork.

During the anniversary update, it was announced that Alan Wake Remastered would be heading to Nintendo Switch in the Autumn. The game would be co-developed once again by d3t. 
Alan Wake's anniversary also presented the perfect opportunity to reveal news about the highly anticipated TV series. After two and a half years of pitching, AMC has officially bought the rights to create an Alan Wake series. 

In May, Remedy published its Business Review spanning the first three months of 2022, touching on the progress made by each team and their future plans.
25th May - The Finnish Game Awards 2022
Finland's local gaming industry celebrated the achievements of the past year with The Finnish Game Awards 2022 and if you checked out the live stream, you may have seen some familiar faces!




June



With the arrival of Summer in Finland, things slowed down a little, but in late June, Variety reported restructuring behind the scenes of the potential Alan Wake TV show.



July



Control returned in Summer Games Done Quick, with DemonicRobots completing the game in just 1:36:04. He was joined by Mikewave, Bryonato, and DECosmic. During the game's run, $6585 was raised in total by viewers



In a new Community Spotlight, we spoke to Frau Haku, a brilliant cosplayer whose Jesse Faden's cosplay featuring the Asynchronous Suit is out of this world. (Photograph by Frau Haku & Kira)



August




With Assembly celebrating its 30th anniversary, Remedy created a special t-shirt commemorating the milestone  The event also featured talks by Johannes Richter (Head of VFX) and Mira Günther (Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist).
In their half-year review, the studio reflects on their projects' progress including five titles which have reached the production stage.



Tietoviikko's (Tivi) annual report on Finland's 250 largest ICT companies placed Remedy in top billing, becoming the first video game studio to receive first place. 
While Remedy announced that there would be no Alan Wake 2 news over the Summer, fellow developer Smilegate was in attendance at Gamescom 2022 with CrossfireX multiplayer news. 
With 2022 marking three years since Control launched, to celebrate Remedy and 505Games put together a list of exciting series of week-long events. 
(Virtual photography by @LaSimilicious)



September
In mid-September, Remedy's Stockholm studio opened its doors. The milestone was celebrated with a shared breakfast across both countries and a livestream between the two studios.
23rd September - Remedy at EGX 2022
GI Academy returned to EGX 2022 with a new career fair, and a series of talks packed with tips from the industry, including one from Remedy's Communications Director, Thomas Puha.
23rd September - Fans Ask The Fadens
In celebration of Control's third anniversary, Remedy and 505Games invited fans to submit video questions for Courtney Hope (Jesse Faden) and Sean Durrie (Dylan Faden). (Art by @Sitriga)

In late September, Google announced that they would be closing down Stadia on January 18th 2023, after three years. Customers would be refunded for purchases made.


October
Public voting opened for The Golden Joystick Awards 2022 in mid-October, with Alan Wake 2's reveal trailer making the shortlist in the "Best Game Trailer" category.
In a lecture posted on the Remedy social channels, Kristof Minnaert and Mika Vehkala took a detailed look at Remedy's adoption of USD with the studio's in-game engine, Northlight.
Alan Wake Remastered launched on the Nintendo Switch on October 20th, alongside a 20% discount to celebrate the occasion. The game was co-developed for the platform by d3t and published by Epic Games.
With Autumn in the air, the Remedy Store stocked up for the colder winds with a new set of Bright Fall candles, in collaboration with Puttipajs. Winter accessories were also restocked on the site.
On October 28th, Remedy published its financial report for the third quarter of 2022. In the review, the studio reflects on its progress; with five game projects currently underway, four of which are IPs owned by Remedy.

At the end of October, IGN updated their list of "The Top 100 Video Games of All Time", introducing Control in 64th place, above some pretty tough competition!

Sarah's ambitious project, #OldestHouseOctober, returned last month for the second year in a row. Inspired by Inktober, Sarah formed the month-long art project to celebrate all things Control concluded in an epic poster. (Art by @Sitriga)



November

After months of speculation, Remedy and 505 Games officially confirmed that "Heron" (the codename for an internal AAA project set in the world of Control) is the sequel to the 2019 adventure. 




Remedy's Creative Director, Sam Lake, was selected to present the Best Storytelling award at the Golden Joystick Awards 2022, a now-digital event currently in its 40th year. With tough competition, Horizon Forbidden West claimed the trophy.


26th November - Theme Park Finland 2022
Theme Park Finland returned this year, this time taking place in Helsinki after successful runs in Kouvola in 2017 and 2018. Remedy was in attendance with portfolio reviews by internal artists.



December



Earlier in the year, Ilkka Villi made his directorial debut with his short film, ToDo, first shown during the 2022 Tampere Film Festival. In early December, it found a wider audience with its arrival on Yle Areena. 




As the temperature dropped in Finland, the studio released new additions for Winter 2022; Barry Xmas Blend (made in collaboration with Helsingin Kahvipaahtimo) and a black Control FBC mug. 






As the year drew a close, Remedy's Community Manager, Vida Starčević, wrote a letter to the community detailing the studio's activities in both Finland and Sweden, alongside the various announcements made throughout 2022. (Art by Jenna Seikkula.)




Indie Cup Ukraine 2022 combines the celebration of local independent devs with a fundraising campaign for Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers. Remedy was a named sponsor in the project which aims to fund power stations and water trucks.

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The Crossfire Series

The Quantum Break Series

The Alan Wake Series

The Max Payne Series

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-- MOBILE GAMES --

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