2019's Control was an incredibly important game for Remedy Entertainment. After the critically divisive Quantum Break in 2016, Remedy needed a major hit to put it back on the map, and that's exactly what Control was, bringing Remedy's trademark narrative style and supernatural themes back to the fore. While a direct sequel to Control is confirmed to be in full development now, fans will be able to get another taste of the Remedy Connected Universe much sooner with the release of FBC: Firebreak, a multiplayer spinoff set in the same world as Control.
Currently set for release in 2025, FBC: Firebreak will see players form a team of eponymous first responders who are tasked with clearing The Oldest House of any lingering paranatural anomalies. Based on its reveal trailer, FBC: Firebreak looks to be a Control spinoff through and through, but it might benefit from leaning into Alan Wake 2's more horror-focused tone.
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The Argument for FBC: Firebreak to Lean Into Alan Wake 2's Horror Elements
Horror Has Become a Core Part of Remedy's Identity
Taking on the role of Jesse Faden, Control saw players exploring the Federal Bureau of Control's headquarters and uncovering its otherworldly secrets. Much like the first Alan Wake, Control dabbled in brief moments of Sci-Fi horror, using its enemies' paranormal abilities to deliver intense and unexpected shocks and scares, such as an enemy suddenly teleporting in front of the player.
Alan Wake 2 fully embraced this paranormal horror, putting it front and center of the experience. Throughout Alan Wake 2's runtime, players see possessed townsfolk who can teleport, ghost-like shadows that move erratically, and an array of other abnormalities designed to send a shiver down players' spines.
After Alan Wake, Control, and Alan Wake 2 and its most recent 'Lake House' DLC, Remedy has firmly cemented paranormal horror as one of its staple features. As such, fans would expect the upcoming FBC: Firebreak to carry forward this tone, at least in some capacity. From the glimpse of gameplay shown during its reveal trailer, it seems as though FBC: Firebreak will carry forward some of Control's paranormal horror elements, with its enemy designs looking suitably chilling. But FBC: Firebreak may want to go a step further, and embrace horror to the same degree as Alan Wake 2.
FBC: Firebreak Could Tap Into The Ongoing Multiplayer Horror Renaissance
In the last few years, the co-op horror genre has grown increasingly popular, especially in the streaming space where viewers are given a front-row seat to the content creator's candid screams. Games like Phasmophobia, Lethal Company, Dead by Daylight, The Outlast Trials, and Sons of the Forest have all managed to become some of the most popular games around, and if FBC: Firebreak fully embraced its paranormal horror themes, it could become a similar phenomenon.
FBC: Firebreak Looks Like Something New for Remedy
While it could be beneficial for FBC: Firebreak to embrace the same kind of horror as Alan Wake 2, it could easily be just as beneficial for the game to offer something new, and based on the first trailer for FBC: Firebreak, it seems like that's exactly what it's going to do. Though FBC: Firebreak has Control's setting and could tap into Alan Wake 2's paranormal horror elements, it seems to be offering a completely new type of gameplay experience for Remedy fans, and that could set it apart nicely from what's come before it.
FBC: Firebreak
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 65 /100 Critics Rec: 25%
- Released
- June 17, 2025
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Violence, Blood
- Developer(s)
- Remedy Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Remedy Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
FBC: Firebreak is a cooperative first-person shooter set within a mysterious federal agency under assault by otherworldly forces. As a years-long siege on the agency’s headquarters reaches its boiling point, only Firebreak— the Bureau’s most versatile unit—has the gear and the guts to plunge into the building’s strangest crises, restore order, and blast their way back from the brink.
Paranatural Pandemonium
Dive into the Federal Bureau of Control’s (FBC) unpredictable and extradimensional headquarters during its darkest—and strangest—hours. As one of the FBC’s fearless first responders, you and your team are on call to confront everything from reality-warping anomalies to otherworldly monsters... No matter the odds. Will you contain the chaos or finally lose control?
Cooperative Chaos
Join forces with friends or strangers to tackle each mission as a well-oiled crew. Survival in this three-player cooperative FPS hinges on quick thinking and seamless teamwork as you scramble to tame raging paranatural crises across a variety of unexpected locations. Improve your odds by utilizing the tools and skills that make you unique or improvising with whatever’s on hand to support your crew.
Beyond Bullets
Before deploying, select your weapon and customize your Firebreaker’s Crisis Kit with specialized tools, grenades, support items, and paranatural augments... Then modify them to suit your strategy and change the way you play. Experiment with different loadouts to perfect your playstyle and synergize with your team, giving you the edge to succeed in every mission, no matter the difficulty.
The Federal Bureau of Control
Return to the strange and unexpected world of Control or venture in for the first time in this standalone, multiplayer experience. Discover the iconic and unfathomable headquarters of the FBC — the Oldest House — from an entirely new perspective as a team of volunteer first responders with nothing but gear and guts to bring the Bureau back from the brink.
- Engine
- Northlight Engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Number of Players
- 1-3
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- FPS
