New Alan Wake Trademark Filing Fuels Release Speculation

Remedy Entertainment has renewed interest in Alan Wake’s future with a fresh trademark application for Alan Wake’s Return. The filing arrives after Alan Wake 2 successfully brought the series back into the spotlight, but it does not confirm that Alan Wake 3 or another specific release is in development.

A Familiar Name Returns

The new application was filed with the European Union Intellectual Property Office on September 15, 2026. Remedy Entertainment is listed as the owner, and application 019422415 is currently under examination.

Alan Wake’s Return is not a new name for the studio. Remedy registered it in 2016, prompting widespread guesses that a sequel to the original Alan Wake was on the way. Those theories proved incorrect. Sam Lake later clarified that the title belonged to a live-action production shown within Quantum Break, rather than a separate Alan Wake game.

That history makes the latest filing difficult to interpret. The name has previously generated major sequel speculation without leading to a standalone release, so the application should be viewed as a signal of renewed activity rather than proof of an announced project.

What the New Filing Covers

The application spans a broad selection of entertainment and merchandise categories. It includes video game software, films, music, audiobooks, comics, printed books and guides, clothing, television production, film production, and online services. Printed materials and clothing appear to be additions compared with the earlier filing.

Because video games are included, a future game remains one possible use for the name. However, the broader list also leaves room for an adaptation, a multimedia project, merchandise, or simply wider protection of the trademark. Remedy has not explained the filing or announced a new Alan Wake game.

The entertainment categories are especially notable because Remedy already has a partnership with Annapurna Pictures focused on expanding Alan Wake and Control into film and television. Annapurna is leading that effort, while Remedy retains ownership of the intellectual property. The trademark could relate to that wider strategy, although no connection has been confirmed.

Why the Timing Matters

The circumstances surrounding the name have changed significantly since 2016. Alan Wake 2 launched in 2023 and became Remedy’s fastest-selling game. It later passed two million copies sold and recovered its development and marketing costs, giving the franchise stronger commercial momentum than it had when the original trademark appeared.

Remedy now identifies Alan Wake as one of its core franchises alongside Control. That makes any new legal activity around the series more meaningful to fans and industry watchers, even if the filing does not reveal what comes next. The studio could be protecting the name ahead of a game, a screen project, or another form of franchise expansion.

For now, the safest conclusion is that Remedy wants to keep Alan Wake’s Return available as a protected title. The name has resurfaced under more promising conditions than before, but an official announcement will be needed before speculation can become news.

Key points

• Remedy filed a new Alan Wake’s Return trademark with the EUIPO on September 15, 2026.
• The application covers games, film, television, books, comics, music, clothing, and online services.
• The same name was previously linked to a Quantum Break production rather than a standalone game.
• The filing does not confirm Alan Wake 3, a new game, or an adaptation.

Alan Wake’s Return trademark timeline

Expert View

The filing signals that Remedy is continuing to preserve and potentially broaden Alan Wake as a valuable transmedia franchise. It also gives the community a credible reason to watch for future announcements, particularly after Alan Wake 2’s commercial performance. Still, the range of covered categories makes the trademark more useful as evidence of brand planning than as confirmation of a particular game or release.