Control: Which Games Are In the Remedy Universe? | Screen Rant - Screen Rant

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Control is the first step in what's been a massive project for Remedy; creating their very own game universe. The game's second expansion, AWE, brings together the world of Control and Alan Wake, as Jessie explores the investigation sector and the events that took place in Bright Falls.

It's an incredibly ambitious project that few developers have done in the past, and Remedy has always loved cramming title full of references and Easter Eggs. Of course, Remedy has a long history that's filled with more than just Control and Alan Wake.

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With the studio's next game in development, one of the biggest questions is how many of Remedy's games are included in the universe it's creating?

Is Max Payne in the Remedy Universe?

Remedy's most well-known game is probably Max Payne, which has gone down as an all-time classic and even received a film adaption starring Mark Wahlberg. It's a bit tricky, however, as Remedy doesn't own the rights to the series anymore. In 2002 Take-Two purchased the rights to the franchise from Remedy, which eventually resulted in Max Payne 3 being developed by Rockstar. Because of this, there's not really a way Max Payne could be included in the Remedy Universe. The studio has, however, come up with some kind of solution. Alan Wake is a famous writer, and his main series is about a hardboiled detective named Alex Casey. There are some serious similarities between Max Payne and Alex Casey, and it's obvious that the character is a stand-in for the former.

In Quantum Break players can watch a video that features an FBI agent named Alex Casey. The character is played by Sam Lake, the writer behind Remedy who also played Max Payne in the first game. The most interesting details, however, come with Control's AWE expansion. Players can find a document detailing how an FBI agent named Alex Casey contacted the bureau to ask for all files on the Bright Falls incident. Alex Casey is supposedly a fictional character, but it's possible that Alan Wake is influencing the real world while he's in the Dark Place, resulting in his most famous fictional character coming to life.

Is Quantum Break in the Remedy Universe?

Quantum Break was an inventive experiment for Remedy, combining live-action TV with a video game. It also just so happens to be crammed with Easter Eggs for other Remedy titles, especially Alan Wake. When Quantum Break released these just seemed like fun nods, but with the Remedy Universe now existing, Quantum Break seems a likely candidate. There's only one catch, Microsoft still owns the rights to Quantum Break. In 2019 Remedy regained the rights to Alan Wake from Microsoft, which has allowed them to integrate it into Control. The same could eventually happen for Quantum Break, or if Microsoft is willing to let Remedy work with the property.

In terms of Easter Eggs, there's the aforementioned video that players can find near the start of the game, and it coincidentally has the same title as the next book Alan starts writing at the end of Alan Wake, Return. Players can also find a copy of Alan's first novel, and there's a black in the Lecture Hall that Jack Joyce can interact with, which makes him say "Alan Wake. Love this guy's work." There are a ton of other references to find, including an episode of the Night Springs TV series. It's clear that Alan Wake exists in the world of Quantum Break, but with Microsoft still owning the rights, it's a little complicated. Unfortunately, there are no direct references to Quantum Break in Control, however, there is an entity called Mr. Door that tells Dylan Faden about the multiverse. While nothing is confirmed this could be an allusion to Martin Hatch from Quantum Break, who at the end of the game is revealed to be a shifter that moves between multiple universes and timelines.

Death Rally and Alan Wake's American Nightmare

This one's a bit weird, but yes Death Rally is technically a part of the Remedy Universe, but not in a typical way. Death Rally is the first game developed by Remedy Entertainment, and it's a top-down vehicular combat experience. While the game doesn't have a set story, it did appear in the Xbox Live Arcade Alan Wake's American Nightmare as an arcade machine. American Nightmare is a weird case as it is because the game isn't confirmed to be canon. Remedy explained it as a sort of spinoff story, and American Nightmare could easily happen in some sort of alternate world while Alan Wake is in the Dark Place. Still, there's enough evidence linking American Nightmare to the Remedy Universe, especially Alan's doppelganger Mr. Scratch. In Control's AWE expansion players can find an audio interview with Alice Wake where she mentions consistently feeling like she sees Alan, or that he's there. In American Nightmare Mr. Scratch taunts Alan by saying that he's basically stalking Alice, trying to cause her mental trauma. Both Death Rally and American Nightmare are smaller games, but Remedy has still found a way to work them both into its budding universe.

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Hayes Madsen (249 Articles Published)

Hayes is a Staff Writer for Screen Rant. He’s been writing and podcasting about games for over a decade, and he’s a graduate of the Metropolitan State University of Denver in the Journalism program. He’s been diving into RPGs ever since discovering the Final Fantasy series at a young age. You can find him on Twitter @Solfleet.