CELEBRATING 4 YEARS IN CONTROL

By Antonela Pounder
on August 27, 2023

CELEBRATING 4 YEARS IN CONTROL

 
Hi everyone! It’s Antonela here, Director of Global Community at 505 Games working on the Control franchise. Today we’re taking a moment to stop and reflect, as we celebrate Control’s 4 year anniversary. It feels like yesterday we were preparing to launch Control to the world. We remember the day well – the mixture of excitement and nervousness felt among the team, along with the anticipation and buzz from the community. These moments don’t come about too often, so we hold those memories close.
 

 
Looking back, we’ve had so much fun with our players since our launch in 2019 and it hasn’t stopped! We’re immensely grateful and proud to have such a supportive and engaged community behind Control, a community that cheerleads the team on a daily basis with their kind messages and incredible show of creativity. We never take those interactions for granted. Today, we want to look back at the last 4 years and celebrate YOU, our incredible community.
 

THOUGHTS FROM OUR DIRECTORS

 
We recently asked some of our super-fans what makes Control special to them. Here’s what they had to say…
 
TJ Marinelli (MrTJ_808) – Control is visually one of the best-looking games out there. Control’s lighting and atmosphere have always been one of my favourite things. Combined with a deep story and stunning environments, Control still stands as one of my best gaming experiences ever!
 
Lily Ashby 🔻 (@LaSimilicious) – For me, the most special things about Control are the story and the characters. I’ve been playing games for such a long time now, but there is no other game out there I feel so connected to the world like Control. The Federal Bureau of Control is weird, frightening, and wonderful at the same time. Jesse Faden became my favourite videogame hero. I look up to her. She is brave and not afraid to handle every situation, even if she must face some frightening shadows like the Hiss. I can’t wait for Control 2! I’m counting the days until I finally see Jesse, Dylan, Langston and maybe even Dr. Darling again. These characters will always have a special place in my heart, and that makes Control so special for me.
 
CBVP Virtual Photography (@Chris25551) – Control is special to me because it opened my eyes to creativity in the form of virtual photography. It quickly became one of my favourite games for its immense atmosphere. I love it!
 
Steffi Syndrome (@StefanieMcMaken) – Control is a game unlike any other. It’s hard to even but a label to it. It’s so unique! It’s not horror but it’s creepy, the atmosphere is out of this world. It’s a game that sucked me right in. I got invested in the amazing Jesse and wanted to find out more about this crazy place – The Oldest House. It has a psychological depth to it that I find very intriguing. It has humor, it has wit. Never have I enjoyed super-powers as much as I did with this game! The floating, the combat, every little side-quest and extra. It’s creative, action-packed and full of deep meaning. So, it’s uniqueness is what makes Control so special to me. The developer team was not afraid to dive into something new and create something truly unique!
 
Damon (@Inner_Solaces) – For me, it’s the story, I love the enigmatic nature of it, I want to try and understand all the complexities behind it from the hiss, the board, to the supernatural elements as I’ve always had a fascination with anything paranormal.
 
@PayneReactor – Even 4 years later, Control remains one of the most atmospheric and bold adventures out there. It’s unique visual style and combat, along with all the mysteries and a complex layered narrative absolutely left a mark with me. As the Remedy Connected Universe keeps evolving, it’s incredibly cool to see some of the lore finally making sense years later!
 
Sarah (@Sitriga) – For me, what makes Control super special is that even with all the weirdness, the otherworldly and very deadly situation in the Oldest House, Jesse is going against everything to save someone she loves so much, Dylan. Then in the journey she changes and takes control of everything: her life, her powers, the Bureau… A girl who lost absolutely everything at such a young age. It’s extremely powerful!
 
Krystine (@Krystine_art) – Happy 4th anniversary Control! I can’t count the number of times I’ve played it, it’s so exceptional and unique! I’m happy to have made this poster for 505 games and Remedy to celebrate this very special day, and always be very grateful to collaborate with such talented teams who are so close to their community! Thank you for all you do and I hope you all enjoy this illustration. 🖤
 

(Let us take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to the immensely talented Krystine for this incredible illustration. You’ve blown us away with your talents, again! )
 

CONTROL CREATIONS

 
The Control community takes creativity to a level we’ve never seen before. Even now, all these years since launch, we are still taken back by the talents of our Directors. Take a moment to check out some of the most impressive creations to come from the Control community since launch…

 

FADEN FRIDAY FUN

 
Speaking of creativity, if you follow us on X, you’ll know all about #FadenFriday. Faden Friday wasn’t started by the Control team, it was started by our loyal fans. #FadenFriday is a celebration of incredible virtual photography and occurs (you guessed it) every Friday. As someone who manages the Control social channels, I love nothing more than checking out your submissions. They honestly brighten our day! Keep them coming.
 
Missed any of our monthly #FadenFriday blogs so far? Check them out here:
 
🔻 https://505.games/FadenFridayFeb23
 
📸 https://505.games/FadenFridayMarch23
 
🔻 https://505.games/FadenFridayApril23
 
📸 https://505.games/FadenFridayMay23
 
🔻 https://505.games/FadenFridayJune23
 
📸 https://505.games/FadenFridayJuly23

 

THANK YOU

 
Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts for your ongoing love and support for Control. Got any memories of Control you want to share from the last 4 years? Let us know over on our social channels using #4YearsInControl and we’ll share our favorites!
 
Looking ahead, the future is bright and we can’t wait to tell you more when the time is right. Until then, stay enthusiastic, stay passionate and stay creative! We love our community and we appreciate you all so much.
 
Let’s wrap things up today with a couple of special messages…
 
Juha Vainio (Executive Producer, Head of the Control Franchise) – “Huge thank you to our fans and the whole Control community for the fantastic four years we’ve had together so far! It’s been amazing to see the community form and continue to flourish year after year. Looking forward to the future!”
 
Courtney Hope (Jesse Faden) – “To all the fans: Thank you for a wonderful four years! Here’s to four more and counting! I can’t believe it’s gone by so quickly! We love you guys so much. I love seeing all of your play throughs , your fanart and your love and support. Your Director loves you all! :)”
 
Happy Anniversary, Director!