Licensing rights mean ‘Space Oddity’ will be replaced by a Remedy original.
The original version of Alan Wake for PC will be getting a new update to remove David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ from its end credits sequence. Unlike its successor, this game had a notable devotion to licensed music, with a range of popular hits ending its main chapter sequences. This caused Alan Wake a whole lot of trouble in its life cycle, with complicated licensing issues actually forcing Remedy Entertainment to briefly delist the game in 2017.
It was unavailable for several months, although it returned in 2018, after a range of negotiations. Rather than having Alan Wake fall to this same fate again, it appears Remedy has a new game plan.
As announced, ‘Space Oddity’ is going away, but it will be replaced by an original song from composer Petri Alanko (Alan Wake 2, Control), titled ‘Strange Moons’. As described, this song is inspired by ‘Space Oddity’ but will provide a different flavour for Alan Wake.
“[It’s] written from a point of view of an astronaut who does have quite a few problems. But even that is okay, as it is what it is,” Alanko said. He also confirmed the new song was pieced together from a music track that originally featured in a cut level of Alan Wake.
While the removal of ‘Space Oddity’ is disappointing – thematically, it shares neat ties with Alan Wake and it gave the credits a sense of cosmic grandeur – replacing it with an original composition is a much better option than total delisting. In future it’s likely Remedy Entertainment will have to continue replacing the game’s licensed songs – at least, for as long as it wants the original Alan Wake to remain live on digital storefronts.
It may also face the same challenges with Alan Wake Remastered, eventually. While it does appear the licensing rights for these titles have different timelines and agreements – given ‘Space Oddity’ will remain in Remastered, for now – we’ll likely hear much more about the game’s licensed music in future.
Keen Alan Wake players can enjoy hearing ‘Space Oddity’ until 10 September, at which point a new update will introduce Petri Alanko’s song replacement. It’s a small price to pay to preserve the original version of Alan Wake, which remains one of Remedy’s best and most innovative adventures.
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By Leah J. Williams 9 September 2024
