"Freaky prototypes" is one reason Alan Wake took so long, says Remedy

Remedy MD Matias Myllyrinne has told a DICE crowd that "freaky prototypes" are one of the reasons Alan Wake's taken so bloody long.

Some didn't work, others did: the studio goes through these motions during the development of any new title, apparently.

Myllyrinne also said that the thriller's proposed sandbox layout was scrapped after six months, as it was felt it would ruin the story.

"It wasn't working. [It] took away from cinematic aspects and rollercoaster story," he further added.

Yesterday, Myllyrinne and writer Sam Lake admitted the studio could be finished if the game doesn't do well at release.

However, it seems all these years in development may be paying off. Gameplay segments from the first couple of levels were also released yesterday, showing how fantastic-looking the title is.

Lake also confirmed that the story of Alan Wake could continue in other forms of media, like a film.

We saw it in London this week. Expect some stuff to go live this afternoon.

The game's due out on May 18 in the US and May 21 in the UK.

Thanks, G4.