The studio behind Quantum Break, Alan Wake, and Max Payne is shoot dodging into multiplayer

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Remedy Entertainment is known for single-player storytelling, but one of its next projects is going for co-op multiplayer. The studio behind Quantum Break (opens in new tab) and Alan Wake (opens in new tab) posted a letter (opens in new tab) on its official website that’s one-half explanation about the change in direction for the studio, and one-half a call for applicants for its new lead network programmer position (who would be instrumental in getting multiplayer working in Remedy’s Northlight engine).

If you’re thinking “wait no don’t make multiplayer things just make Alan Wake 2 (opens in new tab)” right now, Remedy anticipated that reaction. The letter makes the case for translating Remedy’s narrative focus to a multiplayer arena. Well, hopefully not a literal arena – lots of other multiplayer games already have that approach covered.

“We want to keep doing and improving on what we do best: exciting stories, memorable characters, believable worlds and cinematic action,” creative director Sam Lake and game director Mikael Kasurinen wrote. “Single-player experience has always been an important focus for us. At the same time, we want to challenge ourselves to find ways to also expand these elements to include cooperative multiplayer.

“We will always strive to be the best storytellers we possibly can, and we want these stories to be shared and elevated through players’ cooperation. We believe that a multiplayer experience combined with Remedy’s unique world-building provides an exceptional environment for that.”

There still isn’t a ton of overlap between narrative-heavy games and multiplayer-focused games, for all manner of reasons (that time I was rushed through the climactic final dungeon in Final Fantasy 14 (opens in new tab) so all the party members who already finished it could just get their loot comes to mind). But Remedy’s experience with both non-traditional narratives and satisfying action should give them as good a chance as any at cracking that nut.

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