Alan Wake Oh Deer thermos.
Screenshot by Destructoid.

A thermos is upending the Alan Wake community

It's a long story.

One of the biggest releases this month is Alan Wake 2, and it’s a title that fans have been waiting for years since the 2010 game garnered itself a cult following. As its launch draws nearer, Remedy has been cranking up the marketing and slowly revealing more of what we can expect from Wake’s next horror adventure.

Recommended Videos

Remedy has Alan Wake merch on sale, including a pretty blue thermos. Unfortunately, things haven’t gone according to plan, and many players who want a thermos find themselves without one, though it does appear that Remedy is attempting to fix things. Nevertheless, it has resulted in a lot of upset, illustrating just how much the thermos means to Alan Wake fans.

Alan Wake in the Woods in Alan Wake Remastered.
Screenshot by Destructoid.

Alan Wake’s thermoses

Alan Wake features quite a few collectibles, including coffee thermoses scattered throughout Bright Falls. The thermoses have become iconic among players, in part due to just how tedious it was to collect all 100 of them.

In June, the studio announced that it would be releasing a thermos in collaboration with Airam. It makes sense for them to work together, as they are both Finnish. It features the logo for the fictional Oh Deer Diner in Bright Falls. Though it was announced that the thermos was a limited edition item, nobody anticipated just how limited it would be.

Alan Wake coffee thermos.
Screenshot by Destructoid.

Alan Wake thermos goes on sale

The thermos was originally slated for a September release, but it was delayed to October 1. During this time, it was difficult to get a hold of Remedy to find out more about the thermoses. Quite recently, we learned the reason why.

It’s difficult to overstate just how beloved this thermos is to Alan Wake fans, with some players on Remedy’s Discord server debating whether they’ll dare to defile it by actually drinking coffee from it. Unfortunately, when the thermos went on sale, it was a challenge for many to get their hands on one.

Alan Wake 2 summer game fest
Image via Remedy.

A situation in need of a remedy

One of the big problems is that the thermoses were first sold on Airam’s Finnish site, making it difficult for international players to purchase one. Reddit user /u/AssociationOrganic71 emailed the studio and received a reply stating that Remedy is facing challenges with international distribution, and it is “actively working on finding a suitable re-seller.”

Shortly afterwards, Remedy revealed that the thermos was on sale internationally on an online store called VPD. The problem would have been solved, except the thermos sold out there almost immediately, leading to plenty more disappointment and disgruntled fans.

Those who managed to purchase one still had to deal with high shipping rates. For some, the cost of shipping was greater than the price of the thermos, leading to quite a few complaints on the Alan Wake subreddit. Some with a more entrepreneurial spirit have been reselling the thermoses online for exorbitant prices, and one has been spotted going for $200.

Remedy’s Thomas Puha has assured fans on Twitter that more stock is coming, which should hopefully quieten the complaints. Of course, it is worth remembering that we’re talking about a novelty coffee thermos, but ill-will from the community is the last thing Alan Wake 2 needs as it inches closer to launch.


Destructoid is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Smangaliso Simelane
Smangaliso Simelane
Staff Writer - Smangaliso Simelane is a writer with a passion for all things related to video games. He has been writing about video games since 2020.