Control 2 is an 'action RPG,' Remedy says, but unfortunately it doesn't explain what exactly that means

We don't know much about Control 2 except that it's happening and will be self-published by Remedy rather than an external partner, as was the case with the original. But Remedy dropped an interesting tidbit as part of today's big Capital Markets Day presentation, revealing that the new game will be an "action RPG."

Word of the apparent change in direction came from a handful of slides that were part of the presentation, like this one:

Remedy quickly confirmed the matter in a post on Bluesky:

The big question, for me at least, is what does that mean? Genre definitions can be fuzzy: I'm inclined to think of the original Control as a third-person shooter, for instance, but Remedy describes it on Steam as a "third-person action-adventure," and repeated that categorization during today's presentation.

Speculatively I'd say the new genre, and the fact that Remedy is making such a point of highlighting it, suggests Remedy is going to lean into player freedom in Control 2: More control over Jesse's abilities, actions, and interactions with NPCs, with different outcomes based on player choice.

That could represent a big shift for Remedy, depending on how deeply the studio commits to the RPG part of the equation. I think Control's "anything can happen as long as it's weird" setting makes it an ideal choice for a more roleplay-focused experience, but historically Remedy has been pretty focused on telling a well-defined story, rather than letting players horse around in the world as they see fit.

On the other hand, Remedy also recently revealed its first-ever multiplayer game, FBC: Firebreak, so who knows? Maybe it's just really eager to start spreading those wings.

It will be some time before we find out. Control 2 doesn't yet have a release date, and Remedy said in today's presentation that the game remains in "production readiness," which I have to assume is another way of saying it's not yet in full production.

I've reached out to Remedy for a little more insight into Control 2's genre shift and will update if I receive a reply.