Summary
Milan-based Publisher505 Gamesis undergoing some unfortunate downsizing, as it’s announced the closure of offices in Germany, Spain, and France. This comes just a day after Remedy Entertainment announced its purchase of the full rights toControl,which505 Gamespublished in 2019, for 17 million euros.
As one of the industry’s most prominent mid-tier third party publishers, 505 Games has been known for helping release a wide array of AA games over its history. Titles like theSniper Eliteseries,Payday 2,Don’t Starve,andBloodstained: Ritual of the Nightfill out its resume. More notably, 505 has also published a number of super well known and highly successful games, likeTerraria,Rocket League, andNo Man’s Sky’sXbox One port. Most recently, 505 handled the PC port ofHideo Kojima’s laudedDeath Stranding,as well as the release of Remedy Entertainment’s highly belovedControl.
Now, per areport by Insider Gaming, 505 Games is shutting down its offices based in Spain, France, and Germany. While this may seem like a catastrophic blow, it’s reported that only ten employees have been affected by these closures. 505’s parent company, Digital Bros, has stated that it’s noticed gamers trending toward playing well-known IP for increasingly longer periods, and that it wishes to “prioritize high-quality and long-standing successful titles.” While not explicitly mentioned, this statement makes it seem like Digital Bros and, by extension 505, may be looking to focus more on publishing long-tailed live service games in the future. 505 has published such titles in the past, its biggest being thesmash-hitRocket League,though its most well-known releases have tended to be single-player titles.
It’s difficult to say what the closure of these offices will mean for 505 Games moving forward. With only ten employees having reportedly been let go, perhaps the remaining staff at these offices will shift to work-from-home, or set up at 505’s HQ in Milan. While this is certainly unfortunate news, 505’s office closures aren’t too surprising, as the video game industry is currently in the midst of a layoff crisis that has seen countless big name companies such as Xbox andPlayStation let go of hundreds of staff members, equating to several thousand lost jobs in 2024 alone. While this 505 move doesn’t seem to be contributing too much to that ballooning number, it’s surely another sign of the duress the entire industry is experiencing.
Will 505 Games Still Publish Control 2?
WithRemedy gaining ownership of theControlIP, the status of Remedy’s prior agreement with 505 to publishControl 2is uncertain. Remedy has another suitable publisher at hand in Epic Games, who helped releaseAlan Wake 2just last year. The future of 505 Games and the kind of games it’ll publish down the road is up in the air. Time will tell how the company will land after these office closures and its apparent shift in strategy.
Control
WHERE TO PLAY
Winner of over 80 awards, Control is a visually stunning third-person action-adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Blending open-ended environments with the signature world-building and storytelling of renowned developer, Remedy Entertainment, Control presents an expansive and intensely gratifying gameplay experience.A corruptive presence has invaded the Federal Bureau of Control…Only you have the power to stop it. The world is now your weapon in an epic fight to annihilate an ominous enemy through deep and unpredictable environments. Containment has failed, humanity is at stake. Will you regain control?Can you handle the bureau’s dark secrets? Unfold an epic supernatural struggle, filled with unexpected characters and bizarre events, as you search for your missing brother, and discover the truth that has brought you here.
