It looks like Alan Wake 2 isn’t the only IP that Remedy Entertainment is working on. The studio has announced that they have entered into an agreement with Chinese powerhouse Tencent for brand new IP utilizing a multilateral joint effort. They will assist in the development of a co-op multiplayer title going by “Codename Vanguard” and will also license and distribute the title in the Asian regions. In addition, Tencent will also have the authorization to develop a mobile version of the game and release it in the same region.
According to the press release, the game will be developed using the Unreal Engine and will be developed for both home consoles and the PC gaming market. Remedy will be the proprietary developers and main publishers for the majority of the world, while Tencent will focus on the Asian region for its eventual release. At this time, Codename Vanguard is only in the “proof-of-concept phase” and has not actually materialized any sort of physical manifestation. In other words, it’s still in the early planning stages and we more than likely won’t see any concrete footage/images for a while.
As for the mobile version, Remedy will give Tencent worldwide rights to publish the game. In addition, Tencent will also fully cover the cost of the mobile project and be the sole developer, while Remedy will focus on the original version. Remedy acknowledges Codename Vanguard as the studio’s first venture into the Games as a Service model, and looks forward to working with Tencent stating that they are “an excellent fit in supporting Vanguard’s ambitious plans.”
As we mentioned earlier, this new IP is only the most recent action of Remedy’s very busy year. The studio surprised everyone with the reveal of the Alan Wake Remaster back in September and was further surprised by the shock announcement of Alan Wake 2 at The Game Awards 2021. It’ll be interesting to see what Remedy and Tencent do with this Codename Vanguard, and hopefully, we’ll see some more announcements for it in the foreseeable future.