Shortly following the release of Alan Wake 2, Remedy has shared more plans on their future projects. Project Vanguard, one of their many previously announced projects, has been renamed to Project Kestrel to signify a change in its goal and structure as production reboots.

This news comes from a press release posted by Remedy this morning. In the press release, the company announced their plans to shift the project from a free-to-play cooperative game to a “premium” game with a “strong, cooperative multiplayer component.”

The project, which recently finished its proof-of-concept stage, is rebooting as a result of evaluation from both Remedy and their publisher Tencent. Following the direction change, the project will return to the concept stage as the team plans to change their aims for the game.

Remedy CEO Tero Virtala also commented on the project in the press release:

We have made some great strides in free-to-play and multiplayer development in Vanguard. After a lot of careful consideration, we believe that taking on a new direction where the game will be built more around Remedy’s core competences is the right way to go. We are creating another distinct Remedy game with Tencent’s continued support in making a great cooperative multiplayer experience.

All in all, this is probably a better move for the team. They want to stick to what they know best, and this is a good way to do that. Many games that have pursued the free-to-play model in the last few years have shut down, and with Remedy’s continued success, it would be a shame for them to try and fail the free-to-play model. Hopefully, this shift will ensure we get a quality product from a quality team.

In terms of their other upcoming content, Remedy also shared their plans for Alan Wake 2’s eventual free DLC.

Source: Remedy Entertainment