Summary
- FBC: Firebreak shifts the focus from Jesse to the Firebreak, and could hint at major changes to the Oldest House.
- Control 2 details could be teased through missions, including Jesse's involvement, and how the Hiss adapted.
- There's potential for conflict with The Board, and even Alan Wake making a cameo.
In less than a month’s time, FBC: Firebreak will be taking players back inside the Oldest House, but this time, not in Jesse’s shoes. The script has been flipped since 2019’s Control, and this time, fans of Remedy’s mind-bending, Hiss-slaying action game will be in the more grounded shoes of mortals, known as the Firebreak. A lot has happened in this time: it has been years since the events of the first game, and the Hiss corruption has still not abated. As if that wasn’t enough, the Altered Items are also going walkabout, with the Sticky Notes a sticking theme in the pre-release trailers that the developer has put out. But all of these things could contain some important clues, not just about what to expect from FBC: Firebreak, but also what might be happening in Control 2.
There are a couple of things known about Control 2 already. When Alan Wake 2: The Lake House expansion came out in 2024, fans were treated to a massive Easter Egg where they could meet Jesse’s brother, Dylan, setting foot in the Oldest House for the first time in five years. After a kaleidoscopic vision, it was pretty clear that things back at base were not ok, and probably wouldn’t be in the near future. This wasn’t the first time Remedy had dropped some information about Control 2, however, as the studio released some concept art of an outdoor street, showing the House’s door wide open, and Hiss corrupted people floating nearby. Given how much Remedy loves to tease its projects, there could be more than a few details foreshadowing Control 2.
FBC: Firebreak Announces Changes From Closed Beta Feedback
The Game Director of FBC: Firebreak shares details on some upcoming gameplay and balance tweaks following feedback from playtesters.
FBC: Firebreak Will Likely Confirm Some Key Details of Control 2
Set approximately six years after the events of Control, FBC: Firebreak is probably going to confirm a lot of fan speculation, and hopefully, ignite some new theories. Control’s world is a very intricately crafted one, and the first game left many Motel doors open to where the series could go next. The Oldest House’s lockdown is still not lifted, and Firebreak seems to hint that the House has changed quite a bit over the years. This could provide an important staging ground for Control 2’s Oldest House, hinting at how the House ever manages to open up again.
FBC: Firebreak Could Show What Control’s Major Characters Are Up To
Quite a few of Control’s main cast have not come back into the spotlight since Control’s AWE DLC. Jesse’s role in FBC: Firebreak is obviously a topic of major speculation. As the Director of the Bureau, she has a responsibility and the means to fight back against the Hiss, and her story in the first game centered around her coming to terms with this role. It seems highly likely that she will play some role, and fans might get to see just how well she has taken to the job, and if it has hardened her personality.
But Jesse isn’t the only one. Dylan in The Lake House seemed like he was still suffering plenty of mental trauma. His treatment by the Bureau probably means he will never be lucid, and Remedy could use that aspect to have him keep spinning cryptic hints about future events or fan theories. Arish, Emily, and Dr Underhill are also unknowns: they survived the first game, but living through the House’s siege must have taken a toll. As some of the more grounded staff, it could be them giving out jobs to the Firebreak, overseeing missions to clear out mold, for example. The elephant in the room is Dr Darling, who was last seen with Thomas Zane in Alan Wake 2, so whatever he’s up to, it’s bound to cause a lot of problems, so hopefully, Remedy leaves a few Dr Darling videos scattered around.
FBC Firebreak Dev Reveals Surprising Source of Inspiration
With the release date for FBC: Firebreak approaching, developer Remedy Entertainment reveals a surprising source of inspiration.
It Could Hint at How the Hiss Survived Control’s Ending
Ostensibly, Jesse cleansed the Slide Projector, cutting the Hiss off from its source. Yet, six years later, the tide of Hiss doesn’t seem to be stopping. It’s known that Hiss corruption spreads through sound, and each new person corrupted can spread the sound further, so it’s possible that these resonant aliens don’t need a source to keep going, but it also seems possible that something bigger could be at work. FBC: Firebreak will probably let players fight that fire, but it doesn’t seem like they’ll be able to work out how the Hiss might have adapted until Control 2.
The Board’s Involvement With the Bureau Is in Question
Jesse’s last meetings with The Board in the Foundation were not particularly positive, finding a new ally in one of the exiled members, Former. The Board’s relationship with the Oldest House was quite parasitic, and Jesse, always skeptical, outright disobeyed them when she felt confident. The Board is not going to take this lying down, or, in whatever orientation it finds itself in, and for the first time, could be meddling in the affairs of Jesse’s Bureau. This could manifest in some missions for the Firebreak, where The Board might make things difficult unless it is adequately appeased, which might hint at a potentially more antagonistic and detached role in Control 2.
Whether The Board still features on the FBC badge might indicate its involvement.
FBC: Firebreak Could Deepen Remedy’s Connected Universe in Preparation for Control 2
Another person who happens to find themselves turning up in unexpected places is Alan Wake. Able to write himself into other people’s stories, Alan recently gained mastery of his destiny after Alan Wake 2’s Final Draft, banishing the Dark Presence from himself by trapping it in the spiral. Perhaps now, with more agency, Alan will be able to lend more of a hand, even if indirectly. A manuscript by Alan did implicate him in Trench’s corruption, although, given what is known about his inspiration from Alan Wake 2, it is unlikely that Alan accidentally manipulated Trench into letting the Hiss in.
Instead, Alan Wake could well act as a guiding hand, setting up plot threads from his writer’s room that are seeded in FBC: Firebreak, but don’t bear fruit until Control 2, or perhaps even Alan Wake 3. The power of a good narrative can change reality in Remedy’s connected universe, and it would be pretty interesting to see Alan learning to use that power consciously, and for good, in the events of Firebreak, and hopefully, Alan and Jesse get to meet again.
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
- Genre(s)
- FPS
