So Microsoft wanted to make Alan Wake 2 on the condition they would get the Alan Wake rights, Remedy didn't want to give Alan Wake to them for whatever reason. Now we'll probably never see Alan Wake 2 because outside of Microsoft, who would fund the sequel to a poor selling Xbox exclusive from 2010. That's very sad to read
No, you have misread that.
MS wanted an new IP, that they could own.
Thank god they didn't go with that deal.
Nothing like that is mentioned in the article anyway.
Part of me thinks that this was originally written as "lead zeppelin" before an editor changed it.
It's a common phrase in the UK.