Remedy Files New Trademark Hinting at Possible Alan Wake 3

If you've been hoping for Alan Wake 3, you'll want to pay attention. Remedy Entertainment just filed a brand-new trademark for something called Alan Wake's Return, and if that name sounds familiar, it should. The studio filed the same trademark in 2016, and people reacted the same way you probably are right now.

Back then, Sam Lake stepped in to clarify that the filing wasn't tied to a new game. Instead, it covered an in-universe video series that appeared inside Quantum Break, and the trademark existed purely to protect the legal use of that content.

So why does this new filing matter for Alan Wake 3 speculation?

Because the timing tells a different story than a simple renewal would. The original 2016 trademark quietly expired earlier this month, and rather than just renewing it, Remedy let it lapse and then filed a completely new version with expanded details.

That's an important distinction, because if the only goal was keeping the legal protection intact, renewing the existing filing would have done the job. Instead, the studio waited it out and started fresh, which is exactly the kind of move that gets people talking about Alan Wake 3 again. It's also worth noting this wasn't an oversight, since records show Remedy received a standard renewal notice in 2025 and chose not to act on it.

What actually changed in the new version is where things get interesting for anyone tracking Alan Wake 3 rumors. The filing dropped the old toy classification entirely and replaced it with categories covering printed materials and clothing.

Meanwhile, the multimedia services category stuck around, but the software and gaming classification became much more detailed than before. Given that Remedy recently partnered with Annapurna to bring both Alan Wake and Control to film and television, the multimedia angle lines up with that ongoing project rather than pointing exclusively toward Alan Wake 3.

Here's exactly what each renamed trademark category actually spells out.

More specifically, the gaming and software portion of the filing now explicitly covers game discs, downloadable titles, recorded game programs, and interactive software, which is about as direct a gaming reference as you can get in a trademark filing. The printed materials category covers books, strategy guides, and similar merchandise, while the clothing portion is fairly standard apparel language.

The multimedia category still includes audio, video, and production services, along with a mention of ongoing gaming services, which could point toward post-launch content or expansions rather than a single standalone release. None of this confirms Alan Wake 3 outright, but it does leave the door wide open.

Here's the thing, though: even without this filing, a reasonable case is already building for Alan Wake 3. Remedy's financial reports have referenced an unannounced project that isn't Max Payne and isn't a continuation of Control. Industry chatter suggests that the title is still early in development, likely still years from release.

Sam Lake himself has also gone noticeably quiet lately, which tends to happen right before Remedy has something bigger to reveal. Put those pieces together, and it's hard not to lean toward Alan Wake 3 being the answer, trademark aside.

That said, this filing doesn't have to be about a game.

Alan Wake's Return could just as easily describe a television series or film project tied to the Annapurna deal, completely separate from any new mainline entry. Even if that ends up being the case, though, there's still strong reasoning to believe Alan Wake 3 is happening regardless of what this specific trademark ends up representing.

It also helps that Remedy's leadership seems fully behind doubling down on its existing franchises before chasing anything new. The studio's newer CEO, Jean-Charles Gaudechon, who previously worked at EA, has talked publicly about wanting both Alan Wake and Control Resonant to perform better commercially, and about the importance of building on what Remedy has already created rather than immediately jumping to fresh intellectual property.

That doesn't rule out a brand-new original game somewhere down the line, and there's a reasonable chance Remedy introduces something entirely new within the next five to ten years. But for right now, the priority clearly sits with strengthening the franchises already in place, and there's no real indication the studio plans to walk away from either series anytime soon.

So where does that leave things? Taken on its own, this trademark filing leans more toward supporting a movie or television adaptation than confirming a new mainline game. But the inclusion of that expanded software and gaming category is hard to ignore, since it specifically covers downloadable and interactive game content in a way that goes beyond what a TV or film trademark would typically need.

Weighing all the evidence together points toward one likely conclusion.

Whether Alan Wake's Return becomes the official title for a screen adaptation, an in-universe project, or something tied directly to Alan Wake 3, the filing itself strongly suggests Remedy is building toward something bigger across multiple formats.

Between the financial reports referencing unannounced projects, the ongoing silence from Sam Lake, and now this trademark renewal following the same pattern as 2016, the pieces increasingly point toward Alan Wake 3 being real and in development. It might not arrive for a while, but the groundwork being laid now suggests Remedy has no intention of letting this story end here.