Control 2 will be a AAA action RPG!
Remedy has announced that Control 2 will be an "action RPG". But honestly, is this really news? Wasn't the first game an action RPG too? True, it was a third-person shooter, but it also had a progression system with unlockable abilities. Besides, isn't every action game nowadays an action RPG? Progression has become a common industry trend. Name an action game that doesn't have RPG elements. No, wait, don't actually do that. Keep reading this post.
The news comes from Remedy's latest investor presentation, where they shared some details on social media. Among the information, we learned that Control will get a free update next year, unlocking some previously released content (hopefully, they'll give away one of the paid DLC packs?). Additionally, Alan Wake 2 has sold 1.8 million copies.
There's some discussion on Twitter about whether Control 2 being an action RPG is really new - the developers insist on calling it "new information" in a reply.
The anxiety of game journalists deciding if it's worth watching the full investor presentation to find some context for these details is evident. They might even find a unique angle no one else has. But it's two hours of ROI talks, and the fear is that it might all be for nothing, bringing them two hours closer to death with no headline quote to show for it. ?
These are the burdens of game journalists, the hardest-working people on Earth. I'm still on the fence myself - maybe I'll try watching the full presentation in the bath. Meanwhile, I invite further discussion on whether Control was an action RPG and what Remedy's emphasis on this label for Control 2 suggests about its design.
