Remedy CEO reveals Control didn't sell well, but he's not disappointed

Control
Control (Image credit: 505 Games)

What you need to know

  • Remedy Entertainment's 2019 title Control has sold over two million copies.
  • Remedy CEO Tero Virtala doesn't consider that to be a "major hit" but he's not disappointed either.
  • Remedy is currently divided into four teams, with a variety of different projects in the works.

Remedy Entertainment's Control has sold over two million copies so far but Remedy CEO Tero Virtala doesn't consider it a "major hit" — not that he's disappointed. Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, Virtala explained Remedy's reasoning for thinking of the game in those terms.

"We're really happy with the success of Control," he says. "It won Game of the Year awards, it has sold over two million units and continues selling — but two million is not yet a major hit in our industry. When we talk about major hit games, we're talking on an industry level — that's what we're aiming at."

Virtale goes on to talk about rise of subscription services, such as Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus, provide "post-launch opportunities" so it isn't necessarily all about copies sold anymore.

Remedy is currently divided into multiple teams, with five games being developed. The team that worked on Control is helming another game, while a big AAA title and a smaller game that are set in the same universe have been signed on by Epic Games. Another team is working on the Vanguard multiplayer project, which will be free to play, while the final team continues work on the campaign for CrossfireX in partnership with Smilegate Entertainment.

Control saw multiple DLC packs released, including the AWE Expansion, which begins the Remedy Connected Universe with the inclusion of Alan Wake. Control: Ultimate Edition was recently released for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PS5, which includes the base game and all its DLC in one package alongside next-generation enhancements like a 60 FPS mode, ray-tracing mode and faster load times.

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Samuel Tolbert
Freelance Writer

Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter @SamuelTolbert.