Control: AWE teaser confirms the return of Alan Wake, hints at a 'Remedy Connected Universe'

We've assumed for awhile now that the second expansion to the most excellent third-person shooter Control, entitled AWE, would somehow cross over with Remedy's pre-Control cult hit Alan Wake. The title of the expansion is kind of a giveaway, for one thing, and various bits of Alan Wake lore are salted throughout Control, too.

During today's State of Play online presentation, Remedy made it official. First, the sound of a typewriter, and then an ominous warning: "Whatever you do, stay in the light," an obvious reference to Alan Wake's gameplay, which involved hauling ass between light posts to avoid getting clobbered by the shadowy "Taken." And then, for just a second, this guy:

That's either Jake Gyllenhaal on the wrong end of a rough weekend or Alan Wake, and given the situation my money is on the latter. He looks a little older and craggier than he did when last we saw him, but life in an altered world event that just won't stop will do that to you.

Remedy revealed a little bit more about the AWE expansion on the PlayStation blog, explaining that it will center around the Federal Bureau of Control's Investigation Sector, which was sealed off several years ago after "things went horribly, horribly wrong." Now, Control director Jesse Faden seeks to reclaim it, by hunting down a mysterious being that's haunted the area for years.

The expansion will add a new form for the Service Weapon called Surge, which fires sticky grenades that can be remotely detonated. There's also a new enemy type, the Hiss Airborne Ranger, which packs a shotgun and can fly, and a new Altered Item in the Investigations Sector hub that will enable you to replay boss fights from the campaign that you've previously completed. The Ashtray Maze will also be replayable, a horde mode has been added, and there will be a few other surprises as well. Naturally, there will also be new rewards to pick up, including a new outfit.

Possibly the most interesting part of the blog post isn't about Control directly, however, but something bigger.

"Over the years, we have included Easter eggs in our games that related some of Remedy’s games to each other, as you have seen if you played Control… but what if they were not all just Easter eggs?" Remedy wrote. "What if there’s actually been a plan in place for over a decade on how some of our games are connected—a Remedy Connected Universe, if you will—and payoff for certain things is… down the line?"

I don't know about you, but I'm certainly intrigued. 

Update: Remedy has confirmed on Twitter that AWE will go live on all platforms (not just PlayStation 4) on August 27.