Sam Lake is certainly one of the most well-known names at Remedy, having been the face of such games as Max Payne 1 & 2, Alan Wake, Quantum Break, Control, and Alan Wake 2.
In a recent interview with journalist Christopher Dring for his newsletter The Game Business, Lake admitted that he had to take six months off after the release of Alan Wake 2 due to the stress accumulated during its development.
Lake explained:
I was very tired and stressed. Making games is a very complex thing and with Alan Wake 2… I really wanted to be hands-on. It’s always teamwork. But I was writing, directing, also co-directing the live action parts. I wanted to be involved in making the music, especially the lyrics. I was acting a part in it, too. There was a lot.
He further explained:
When this kind of a big production starts rolling, it’s not built around one person’s availability. So, if you want to do all of these different things, you need to be flexible, you need to stretch, and you need to be working like a crazy person to achieve it. I felt it was worth it but it was a lot. And there is always this struggle of… the creative vision, the production realities, the schedules, the budget and the scope. Towards the end I had been working a lot of nights and weekends for a long, long time.
In short, Lake pushed himself too hard during the development of the game, leading him to take a long break.
Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m really proud of what we achieved. But I had to do a sabbatical. I went away at the end of the project for half a year. I’m feeling much better now.
Alan Wake 2 is available on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.
