FBC: Firebreak turns things upside down for the RCU: "If Control was 70% horror and 30% absurdity, it's the other way round here"

If there's one curious coincidence I certainly didn't have on my bingo card this time last year, it's that the studio's behind 2022 and 2023's best games (fight me!) should each turn out to be releasing a PvE title designed for three players set in some of their best known universes. Games that are 100% multiplayer but, in the developers' own words, are certainly not a live service - although they will both receive post-launch content. And yes, they are both launching at a reduced price compared to their famous family members.

Last month it was Elden Ring: Nightreign that hosted a big press tour, and now it's the turn of Remedy's FBC: Firebreak. The game was formally announced last autumn at the Xbox Partner Preview, and recently we had the opportunity to see an edited round and ask director Mike Kayatta and communications boss Thomas Puha questions.

When the two gentlemen introduce FBC: Firebreak, it's clear that they are on a mission. They know that Remedy has made its name on games played alone rather than with others, and they know that live service has never sounded less appealing than in 2025.

That's why they make sure to be very clear about what FBC: Firebreak is and isn't. Yes, it IS a pure multiplayer game (although you can also play alone), but it IS NOT a live service. It takes place in the Remedy Connected Universe (RCU), but will expand the lore discreetly so that new players aren't put off and Control fans who skip don't miss out on too much. No FOMO is what Kayatta confirms. It won't feel like a second job, with endless goals and lists, the rounds are manageable at around 30 minutes, content will be added after launch, but it will be free to avoid splitting the player base. It will run at lower specs on PC than Remedy's other games, and for Xbox and PlayStation it will launch day one on Game Pass and PS Plus. Together, it paints a picture of a developer really doing what it can to remove the barriers to entry, which is certainly endearing.

It's a good foundation, and so is the premise of the game. We find ourselves back in The Oldest House, which six years after the events of Control (yes, Remedy continues with real-time play) is still hermetically sealed as a result of the Hiss invasion. In fact, the problem has grown so intractable that FBC Director Jesse Fayden has appointed Hank Flowers to lead the Firebreakers initiative, which, in simple terms, involves equipping ordinary employees with the resources now available and putting them to work as paranatural exterminators.

You play one of these lucky characters and, in a recognisable way, choose through menus a mission (here appropriately called a job), the difficulty level, and the number of zones (1-3) you want to tackle. Also, your loadout, which consists of three kits, each of which is customised for a specific player type, and perks.

Let's start with jobs. Although the flow from job to job will repeat, each job is located in a unique part of The Oldest House and has its own crisis type and goal. In the job we saw, which is also the focal point of the new trailer, it's all about removing sticky notes. A seemingly trivial task that quickly changes theme when the number of sticky notes increases to well over 100,000 and hordes of Hiss get in the way - not to mention the sticky note giant it all culminates in a showdown with.

If that sounds a little more silly than you remember from the tone of Control, it's entirely intentional, Kayatta assures us:

"Control alternates between horror and suspense and the absurd. I would arbitrarily put the ratio at 70/30 in favour of horror. The strategy here is to take the same ingredients and flip them around. So we lean into the absurd and fun - without leaving horror completely."

In other words, it should still feel like Control, just the more unpretentious side of the game. For me, a big part of the appeal of Control and Alan Wake 2 has been the successful blend of horror and humour, so it will be interesting to see how Remedy manages to turn things on its head.

Although there will be no changing environments like the Ashtray Maze this time around for gameplay reasons, the surroundings are unmistakably flavoured by Control. And even though we don't have Jesse Fayden's superpowers this time around, Remedy has still managed to find a good replacement through the various loadouts, or kits. You have three kits available, each with a unique focus and two unique items. The Splash Kit is your classic support role, the Jump Kit is more about mobility, and the Fix Kit is more melee-focused. In addition to your kit, you can choose perks that are continuously unlocked. Here, Remedy focuses more on options rather than power ramping - again to keep the player base together.

The Hiss threat is primarily handled through the use of firearms - it's an FPS after all. Since I didn't have the opportunity to play, I can't say how good FBC: Firebreak feels, however, it seems that it's the primary action you're experiencing, so it will be crucial for the quality of the game that Remedy gets this right.

More interesting than the shotguns and automatic rifles you are equipped with are the unique objects each kit comes with. Especially because they simply appear to be Objects of Power, one of Control's most fun inventions, and thankfully an element Kayatta never doubted would be in the game:

"Objects of Power is an important part of the universe. I love their flavour of weirdness. They're iconic, so we'd be crazy not to include them, and I think we're using them in fun and exciting ways in the game."

We see the BOOMbox, which attracts enemies and eventually explodes, and the Humidifier, which provides healing water for the team. Functionally, they may not be ground-breaking, but they feel powerful and, thankfully, weird enough that I think they become a natural highlight of the battles. As was the boss fight it all culminates with. The delightfully weird giant made of sticky notes is exactly the kind of feature that can make FBC: Firebreak stand out in a crowded market.

And then there's the lore. The RCU is, for my money, the best cohesive universe in pop culture, but there's still a lot Remedy doesn't tell you about it. Will anyone else from the RCU be there, will characters or Alan Wake Easter eggs pop up? Play it and find out, says Kayatta and Puha. They do, however, want to talk about the angle of this dive into Control's part of the RCU. What didn't we see? What would we like to see more of? And what does the universe look like from a different angle, teases Kayatta. Unsurprisingly, there will still be plenty of coffee, although American Kayatta calls the coffee in Finland "surprisingly bad".

It's clear that Remedy is excited - and nervous - about the reception of FBC: Firebreak. Puha assures us that although Kayatta, for example, is new to Remedy, there are plenty of long-serving Remedy employees working on the project, and he also points out that many at the developer were looking forward to working on a multiplayer game.

Personally, I'm curious to see more. If the variety of jobs is broad enough and the core gameplay is satisfying, I can easily see myself spending a lot of time acting as a paranatural exterminator in The Oldest House. Either way, I applaud Remedy for trying their hand at something structurally and gameplay-wise a little different than they've made their name on.