Pixel Sundays: Control – From the Oldest House to Remedy’s Biggest Bet
Control was released in 2019 as a relatively unusual Remedy game. The studio had previously made a name for itself with Alan Wake and Quantum Break. Control is a blend of a third-person shooter, Metroidvania, and mystery. Instead of a traditional world, it features the Oldest House, a constantly shifting building filled with paranormal phenomena. The protagonist is Jesse Faden, who is searching for her brother Dylan and almost immediately becomes the Director of the enigmatic Federal Bureau of Control.
Summary
- Control – Jesse Faden, the FBC, and the Mystery of the Oldest House
- The Foundation and AWE – Control Expands Beyond the Base Game
- From Control to an Independent Franchise – Remedy Buys Back Its IP
- FBC: Firebreak – The First Major Test Goes Wrong
- Control Resonant – Dylan Faden Must Now Carry the Franchise Forward
- From a Single Game to a Core Brand – The Future of Control
- Conclusion – Control is Now More Than Just a Game
What began as a standalone game was subsequently developed by Remedy into one of its most important brands. Today, there is a second mainline game and spin-offs. At the same time, Control has become increasingly interconnected with Alan Wake and the Remedy Connected Universe over the years. Seven years after the original, the Oldest House has evolved into the Control Resonant franchise, which Remedy intends to expand in the long term.
Control – Jesse Faden, the FBC, and the Mystery of the Oldest House
In the first Control game, you take on the role of Jesse Faden. At the beginning of the game, Jesse travels to New York in search of her younger brother, Dylan Faden. The two originate from the fictional American town of Ordinary. During their childhood, an extraordinary event occurred there, which continues to haunt Jesse to this day and resulted in Dylan’s disappearance.
Jesse believes that a secret government organization is involved in her brother’s disappearance. This investigation ultimately leads her to the Federal Bureau of Control. Furthermore, Jesse has perceived a mysterious paranormal presence named Polaris for years. Polaris does not communicate with her like a normal person, but rather as a voice or presence within her mind.
The Federal Bureau of Control, or FBC for short, is a clandestine American government agency. This authority investigates paranormal events, locations, and objects. The FBC designates particularly significant occurrences as Altered World Events, or AWEs. These are situations in which reality or the laws of nature are altered in an unusual manner.
The FBC also secures Altered Items. These are seemingly mundane objects that have acquired unusual properties through paranormal influences. The most significant of these items are known as Objects of Power. They can bind themselves to specific individuals, granting them supernatural abilities. It is precisely through such objects that Jesse acquires many of her powers throughout the game.
The FBC headquarters is located in the middle of New York and is known as the Oldest House. From the outside, the building appears to be a standard concrete complex, but its interior completely defies normal architecture. Rooms and corridors shift their positions, and certain areas are considerably larger than the exterior dimensions would allow. Furthermore, it contains connections to other dimensions and paranormal locations. This granted Remedy significant creative freedom with level design, spaces, perspectives, and environments.
Control is a third-person action-adventure game integrated with supernatural abilities. For instance, Jesse can telekinetically lift objects from the environment and hurl them at enemies. Later on, additional movement and combat abilities are introduced. Moreover, the game features firearms, and the destructible environment constantly interacts with the combat mechanics.
The Oldest House does not feature a linear level progression. It operates more like a Metroidvania, meaning all areas are interconnected and can be revisited later once new abilities or security clearances are acquired. This allows you to unlock new, previously inaccessible paths.
Control was not only a critical success but also became a strong long-term seller over the years. By early 2024, the game had sold more than four million copies, generating approximately €100 million in shareable net revenue for Remedy and publisher 505 Games.
The Foundation and AWE – Control Expands Beyond the Base Game
Control also received two expansions. The first expansion, The Foundation, was released in March 2020. This expansion can be played after completing the main story. In the DLC, you delve into the deepest area of the Oldest House, a region appropriately named the Foundation. It effectively serves as the bedrock of the entire building. However, a mysterious structure known as the Monolith has been damaged.
Simultaneously, the so-called Astral Plane begins to bleed into this area. This is an abstract paranormal dimension that already appears in the base game. Through the DLC, the lore of the Oldest House, the FBC, and several supernatural forces behind the building are further expanded.
The second expansion, AWE, was released on August 27, 2020, exactly one year after the original launch of Control. In this DLC, Jesse investigates the previously sealed Investigations Sector of the Oldest House. This area houses records of particularly significant paranormal events.
One of these events leads to Bright Falls, the small town where the 2010 game Alan Wake takes place. The writer Alan Wake himself is also directly addressed there. In this way, Remedy connects the Control franchise with one of the studio’s older IPs. This shared universe is referred to as the Remedy Connected Universe, or RCU for short. However, the two games remain standalone brands, much like different Marvel characters coexisting within their own universe. The game is currently also available in an Ultimate Edition, which includes all expansions.
From Control to an Independent Franchise – Remedy Buys Back Its IP
While the Control IP was created by Remedy and fundamentally belongs to the developer, Remedy collaborated with 505 Games for its publication. This meant that Remedy did not hold all the rights to independently oversee the release of future Control products. For a single game, this model was less risky, but once Control evolved into a long-term, valuable franchise, the situation shifted. Following the successful launch of the first game, Remedy wanted full ownership of the rights.
By early 2024, Control had already surpassed four million sales, generating around €100 million in revenue. At that time, two additional Control projects were already in development. One was Codename Condor, which later became FBC: Firebreak, and the other was Control 2, which later evolved into Control Resonant. Consequently, Remedy sought greater long-term control over the brand.
In February 2024, Remedy purchased all publishing, distribution, and marketing rights for future Control products from 505 Games. The deal encompassed all previous and future games in the series. The maximum purchase price was approximately €17 million. This effectively concluded the previous publishing agreement with 505 Games.
FBC: Firebreak – The First Major Test Goes Wrong
FBC: Firebreak is not a related game from the Remedy Connected Universe, but is part of the Control franchise. Originally, the project was developed under the name Codename Condor. The game was released on June 17, 2025, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series. Remedy wanted to show that the world of Control could function outside of a traditional single-player experience.
Firebreak is a cooperative first-person shooter for up to three players. The setting is once again the Oldest House. You are part of the Firebreak unit, an internal response team of the Federal Bureau of Control. These agents are called in when paranormal situations occur in the Oldest House that normal FBC personnel cannot handle.
In the game, players work together to contain unusual outbreaks and paranormal threats. One example is Paper Chase. This involves harmless sticky notes that continuously multiply due to a paranormal influence, eventually becoming a major threat over time. This highlights the contrast of everyday office items becoming completely absurd and dangerous through paranormal events.
FBC: Firebreak was Remedy’s first self-published game. It served as a test of whether their new strategy would work after reacquiring the Control rights. The financial risk with this game was lower than a major AAA sequel, making it the perfect test case.
However, this test did not go as Remedy expected. The game sold poorly, leading Remedy to record a non-cash impairment charge of 14.9 million euros in the 2025 financial year. While Remedy continued to support the game with major updates, the economic damage was already evident by that point.
Control Resonant – Dylan Faden Must Now Carry the Franchise Forward
Control Resonant was released on September 24, 2026, for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and Epic Games, with a Mac version scheduled to follow later in 2026. The game is the direct sequel to Control. At the same time, according to Remedy, it was deliberately designed so that new players who did not play the first installment can easily jump in.
Unlike the first game, you no longer play as Jesse, but rather her brother, Dylan Faden. Now, however, Jesse has disappeared, and Dylan is deployed by the FBC to contain a new paranormal crisis in Manhattan. Simultaneously, Dylan is searching for his sister.
The biggest difference is the game’s setting, as Control previously focused almost entirely on the Oldest House. Now, you find yourself in a paranormally altered Manhattan. As a result, the game is significantly larger and offers a more open experience.
A new form of resonance, along with familiar paranormal hazards, is also altering parts of the city. Buildings, streets, and entire areas can now defy the normal rules of reality. Thus, the central concept of the Oldest House is transferred to a much larger environment for the first time.
Dylan does not simply adopt Jesse’s combat style; his central weapon is the Aberrant. This is a paranormal melee weapon capable of changing its shape. Dylan combines this weapon with his own supernatural abilities. Consequently, Resonant gains its own gameplay identity, despite being set in the same world.
Remedy is developing Resonant themselves, and commercial success is particularly important now following FBC. Annapurna Pictures is participating as a strategic partner in financing and production. This means Remedy does not bear every expense entirely on its own, but remains the publisher. As a result, Remedy will profit much more directly from sales if the title is successful.
From a Single Game to a Core Brand – What is Next for Control
The Control franchise already consists of three games: Control, Control Resonant, and FBC: Firebreak. Meanwhile, Remedy holds the full publishing and distribution rights to the series. This means the company can decide for itself which sequels should be developed. Through the universe, they can also connect more of their franchises later on. Alan Wake and Control are planned to continue growing until 2030. An exact release date or specific details about the upcoming games are not yet known.
Conclusion – Control is More Than Just a Game Today
Within just a few years, a single, unusual action game has evolved into its own franchise. Control not only established the Federal Bureau of Control and the Oldest House, but simultaneously became a key component of the Remedy Connected Universe. With FBC: Firebreak, Remedy attempted for the first time to expand the brand in a different direction – though economically, this attempt went significantly wrong.
This makes Control Resonant all the more important. After reacquiring the publishing rights, Remedy can profit much more heavily from a successful game, but simultaneously bears more responsibility for the brand’s future. Resonant must therefore not only show how Jesse and Dylan’s story continues, but also prove that Control can remain one of Remedy’s most important brands in the long term.
Hey, I’m Kilian, but online you’ll probably know me as “Tux1243.” I've been part of the team for almost two years now, always trying to keep you in the loop with the latest and coolest gaming news. I also have a huge passion for doing deep dives and detailed analyses of entire game series and franchises. I love getting to the bottom of things and exploring the little details and backstories that make game worlds so fascinating.
Download the Allkeyshop Browser Extension Free
For all the latest video game news, trailers, and best deals, make sure to bookmark us.
You can find all the best and cheapest online deals on CD keys, game codes, gift cards, and antivirus software from the verified CD key sellers on our store pages.
To not miss any news on Allkeyshop, subscribe on
Google News
.
MORE RELEVANT ARTICLES
Comments (0)