Remedy Entertainment has entered into a strategic partnership with American video game developer and publisher Annapurna, which will see the latter co-finance Control 2 and bring Remedy’s IPs to cinemas.
Remedy revealed the partnership on its website and social media channels. Back in February, Remedy announced that it had acquired full rights to Control franchise from 505 Games in a deal worth around $18 million.
“We are partnering with Annapurna to co-finance Control 2,” Remedy announced through its official X handle. “We hope you’re as excited about what this means for our creative output and ongoing independence as we are. The company added that they are “happy to announce that Annapurna will work with us on expanding the Control and Alan Wake franchises into film and TV”.
Since acquiring the rights to Control, Remedy has always expressed its thrill about how this will allow them to dictate how the game would be. Explaining the deal with Annapurna, the Alan Wake maker said “It means Remedy is able to make Control 2 exactly the game we want it to be”.
When Control 2 is finally released, it will be published by Remedy. The company has several games in the pipeline including Condor. However, they said it would be a while before gamers got more news about the games.
The news is coming barely a week after ex-Epic Games executive Hector Sanchez became the President of Interactive and New Media at Annapurna. Sanchez’s new position will see him partner with founder and CEO Megan Ellison to develop IP across mediums.
“This deal with Remedy isn’t just about adapting great games—-it’s about breaking new ground in how companies can collaborate,” said Sanchez. “By backing Remedy’s move toward self-publishing, we’re putting our faith in their vision.”
“We know from experience that Remedy is a first-class games development partner, and we’re excited to share their work with an even wider audience by bringing the Control and Alan Wake universes to film, television and beyond.”
Remedy executives react to the deal with Annapurna Interactive
Annapurna Interactive was founded in 2011 by Megan Ellison as an independent multi-platform media company and content studio. The company works with artists across games, films, theater, and television to create high-quality original stories. This helps creators to reach diverse audiences across the globe.
“At Remedy, our primary focus continues to be what we do best—crafting industry-defining video games that have earned us global recognition,” said Tero Virtala, CEO of Remedy Entertainment. “Now, the time is right to expand the reach of Remedy’s beloved franchises to an even broader global audience through film, television, and more.”
“In Annapurna, we have found an outstanding partner who shares our ambition and passion for immersive storytelling. We are excited to see them bring the universes and characters we have created to life in new mediums, thanks to this unique deal.”
The creative director of Alan Wake 2, Sam Lake also shared his excitement about the partnership with Annapurna from his vacation.
Sam Lake, Creative Director of Alan Wake 2
“I’m absolutely thrilled (yes!) by this opportunity to expand the story of Alan Wake and our whole Remedy Connected Universe to mediums beyond games, and to build all of this in close collaboration, games, film, TV, and other mediums as well, as one unified vision. I trust Annapurna are the perfect partner for us to make this dream come true.”
While I am excited to see Alan Wake and Control come to cinema, Remedy and Annapurna must take the lessons from both successful franchises (like Fallout and The Last of Us) and not-so-successful franchises (like Borderlands and Twisted Metal) that have been adapted to movies to make sure they get it right.
