To the public, a sequel to Alan Wake didn't always seem possible. In fact, it seemed quite improbable at times. The 2010 original was never a sales juggernaut when it launched as an Xbox 360 exclusive, and with each passing year, the game felt less likely despite a core of passionate fans. Ending on a cliffhanger with more mysteries left unresolved than a season of Lost, players wanted more. Alan Wake had become a cult classic, but it can be hard to get back to a passion project like that, especially in an industry dominated by hits.

Despite all this, fans never stopped hoping for the game to get its follow-up, and Remedy always seemed just as keen--it just felt like the timing was never right. After many different iterations and interpretations of what the sequel would look like, Remedy has settled on a sequel that delves deep into a new genre and explores its world through a new character, alongside Alan. Continuing our Alan Wake 2 coverage from last week, in which we broke down the new trailer for clues and introduced co-protagonist Saga Anderson, GameSpot was able to catch up with Remedy's creative director and writer on Alan Wake 2, Sam Lake. I wanted to hear it from Lake himself--often seen as the face of the studio--exactly how we got here, and why he says it's even a good thing it's only happening now.

"There was never a time when I felt that it would not happen. It just hadn't happened yet," Lake told me of the sequel, which is due out this October, nearly 14 years after the original hit shelves. "When you work on something with the intent of making it and then you realize it's not happening, there is disappointment for sure. But what happened with Quantum Break, what happened with Control, is that in that creative process of creating a concept [for Alan Wake 2], there were other ideas that sprang from that workshopping."