In the often wild world of video games, Finnish developer Remedy Entertainment is known for its uniquely strange and mind-bending narrative experiences like Alan Wake and Control. But behind the surreal stories and reality-bending gameplay lies a surprisingly grounded strategy that has helped the studio not just survive, but thrive, in a tumultuous industry facing layoffs and closures.
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Remedy’s secret isn’t just making weirdly wonderful games; it’s a deliberate, decade-long shift towards financial independence, owning its creative properties, and becoming a multi-project studio. This strategic evolution is allowing them to take calculated risks, like launching their first self-published multiplayer game, FBC: Firebreak.
Here’s a look at how Remedy is navigating the storm:
From Cult Classic to Powerhouse
Founded in 1995, Remedy first gained fame with the iconic action game Max Payne in 2001, known for its “bullet time” effect ripped straight from action movies. This success was followed by the unique survival horror of Alan Wake and the sci-fi blend of Quantum Break.
However, for years, Remedy operated on a precarious cycle: developing one big game every four to five years. Crucially, they often didn’t own the games they created – publishers like Rockstar and Microsoft held the rights. This meant if a single game underperformed, the future of the entire studio was at risk.
Screenshot of the classic Max Payne game featuring bullet time action.
The Plan: More Games, More Control
When Tero Virtala took over as CEO in 2016, he recognized the need for change. Despite a talented team and past successes, relying on a single project every few years wasn’t sustainable. His vision centered on two key pillars:
- Become a Multi-Project Studio: Work on several games simultaneously to spread risk and ensure continuous output.
- Own Their Creations & Self-Publish: Gain control over their valuable intellectual properties (IPs) and eventually release games themselves, rather than relying solely on external publishers.
This wasn’t just a business plan; it required a cultural shift within the company.
Building a Transparent Culture
Virtala believed that for this strategy to work, the entire team, including the creative minds, needed to understand the business realities. Instead of keeping business and creative separate, Remedy fostered transparency.
As Virtala puts it, “People are smart… and they are mature enough to understand that if you want to make creative, ambitious games, it’s not possible unless you have the financial basis.” By sharing information about budgets, technology, and production plans, developers could make more informed creative decisions aligned with the company’s overall health.
Even long-time creative director Sam Lake, the lead writer behind Remedy’s major franchises, embraced this, stating, “It’s important to understand enough of the business, even though I don’t love it.”
Screenshot of the game Control showing protagonist Jesse Faden using abilities in the Oldest House.
Control: The Turning Point
The true test of this new strategy came with the launch of Control in 2019. Developed in a relatively quick three years under Virtala’s leadership, it was the first game built with the new processes in mind. Constraints in budget and timeline were treated as creative challenges, forcing innovation.
Control was a major success for Remedy. It was a brand-new IP that the studio would later gain full ownership of, developed alongside another project (a collaboration on Crossfire). Critically, it proved Remedy could deliver a high-quality, unique experience faster and laid the groundwork for future projects and their connected universe. You can read our review of Control here.
Expanding the Universe (and Portfolio)
Building on Control‘s success, Remedy has significantly expanded. The studio has grown to over 380 people and now juggles four projects:
- A sequel to Control
- Remakes of the original Max Payne games
- A currently unannounced title
- Their first self-published multiplayer game, FBC: Firebreak
They also acquired the publishing rights for Alan Wake, paving the way for the critically acclaimed Alan Wake 2. This allows them to build a connected universe linking Alan Wake and Control, with ambitions even extending to film and TV adaptations. This diversification across projects and even mediums helps insulate them from the inherent volatility of the games market.
To manage multiple projects, Remedy restructured into distinct development teams and even appointed two creative directors, Sam Lake and Mikael Kasurinen. This allows creative leadership to remain involved in company-level decisions even when one director is deep in a specific game’s development.
Learning from Stumbles
The path wasn’t always smooth. Some early attempts at expanding didn’t pan out. A collaboration with Smilegate on the shooter CrossfireX, where Remedy developed the single-player campaign, was poorly received and shut down just a year after its 2022 launch.
Gameplay screenshot from the first-person shooter CrossfireX.
Remedy also explored free-to-play with Tencent on “Project Vanguard,” which eventually shifted to a premium model before being canceled entirely.
Virtala acknowledges these setbacks were partly due to pushing too hard, too fast. These failures, however, provided valuable lessons, helping the studio realize that four projects seems to be the optimal number for their current size, allowing for necessary focus.
Testing New Waters with Firebreak
Despite past multiplayer stumbles, Remedy’s latest move is launching FBC: Firebreak, a multiplayer spinoff set in the Control universe. This might seem counterintuitive for a studio built on single-player stories, but it’s a deliberate step to explore new genres and expand their capabilities.
Firebreak isn’t aiming to be the next Fortnite or Call of Duty. It’s described as a paid game designed to “respect the player’s time,” without the aggressive daily engagement loops of typical live-service titles. It’s a smaller, internal project allowing Remedy to learn the ropes of multiplayer while leveraging an established IP. You can read our preview interview about FBC: Firebreak here.
Screenshot from FBC: Firebreak, the multiplayer Control spinoff game.
Firebreak‘s launch received mixed reviews, with some critics noting repetitive gameplay despite maintaining the Control tone. However, Remedy has publicly acknowledged the feedback and is releasing patches and updates to address issues, showing commitment to the project.
Why This Strategy Matters Now
Remedy’s careful strategy of multi-project development, IP ownership, and self-publishing feels particularly smart in today’s gaming landscape. We’ve seen major studios shut down and huge companies struggle to find footing in gaming.
While no studio is completely insulated from the market, Remedy’s approach makes them less dependent on the massive, make-or-break success of a single title. By diversifying their output and owning their creative destiny, they can weather potential storms and continue to make the uniquely weird and wonderful games they’re known for, aiming for sustainable growth rather than just chasing infinite expansion.
For Remedy, this calculated, sometimes “boring” business strategy is the foundation that allows their creative teams to keep pushing boundaries and exploring the wonderfully strange corners of their connected universe.
What do you think of Remedy’s approach to navigating the game industry? Share your thoughts or explore more articles on Remedy’s games and the state of the gaming industry!
