Highlights
- Remedy reported lower Q2 2026 revenue and operating losses driven by heavy investments in the marketing campaign for Control Resonant.
- Pre-orders for Control Resonant have performed exceptionally well globally, tracking high on PlayStation charts ahead of its launch.
- Steady game sales from older titles like Alan Wake 2 and recurring development fees continue to cushion the studio's short-term financial dip.
Remedy Entertainment has reported a noticeable drop in revenue for the first half and second quarter of 2026, but the Finnish studio isn't hitting the panic button. In fact, this financial dip is entirely intentional. The studio is currently ramping up an aggressive, costly marketing campaign for its highly anticipated sequel, Control Resonant, which is set to launch worldwide on Sept 24, 2026. CEO Jean-Charles Gaudechon, who took the helm in March 2026, explained that these results were completely expected and expressed immense confidence in the early reception of their next blockbuster.
Looking at the raw numbers, the heavy focus on marketing directly impacted the studio's bottom line. For the second quarter of 2026, revenue fell 40% year-over-year to €10.2 million ($11.77 million USD). This led to an operating loss of €3.9M ($4.50M), a steep drop compared to the €0.5M ($0.58M) loss recorded during the same quarter last year. The picture for the first half of the year as a whole tells a similar story, with total revenue dropping 23.1% to €23.3M ($26.88M). This resulted in an operating loss of €2.9M ($3.35M) for the half, a sharp contrast to the €0.8M ($0.92M) operating profit the company enjoyed in the previous comparable period.
Remedy attributed these stark year-over-year declines to a tough comparison period. Last year's numbers were heavily boosted by the launch of FBC: Firebreak, which brought in massive initial sales and subscription service accruals that simply weren't repeated this year. When combined with the massive marketing investments for Control Resonant, the temporary drop in profits makes perfect sense.
The studio's bold strategy appears to be paying off right on schedule. Pre-orders for Control Resonant have opened with healthy momentum, ranking among the top three most pre-ordered PlayStation games in the United States, Germany, and Brazil. Gaudechon noted that internal tracking shows the game performing extremely well against comparable titles in its launch window. He added in a financial report, "In a competitive autumn window, we believe the distinctiveness and quality of the game will make it stand out.” Because that window has become slightly less crowded since their original reveal, the studio remains incredibly confident in their positioning.
Steam
Older Titles and Development Fees Provide a Safety Net
While the studio waits for its next big hit, its beloved older games are providing a crucial financial safety net. Revenue from game sales and royalties totaled €3.8M ($4.38M) for the period, down from the €9.5M ($10.96M) generated during last year's Firebreak launch window, as per Gamesindustry.biz.
However, the marketing buzz around the upcoming sequel has actually driven a noticeable boost in sales for the original 2019 Control. Additionally, the critically acclaimed Alan Wake 2 recently surpassed a massive commercial milestone of three million lifetime sales. Royalties from both this title and Alan Wake Remastered are now being generated solely from consumer sales, with no platform deal accruals propping them up.
Furthermore, development fees remain a steady source of cash flow. Fees generated from the ongoing development of Control Resonant and the Max Payne 1 & 2 remakes totaled €6.4M ($7.38M), compared to €7.4M ($8.54M) in the previous period.
Gaudechon emphasized that alongside their largest and most ambitious release to date, their existing catalogue has provided a solid backbone. Other development projects have advanced perfectly in line with their plans, with a new, unannounced project officially moving into production readiness.
While early signals and commercial metrics give the team immense confidence in their upcoming sequel's potential, Gaudechon stated in the financial report that their core focus remains on simply bringing an outstanding game to the market and letting the results speak for themselves. With marketing accelerating even further in the third quarter, he personally sees the game getting stronger week by week.
