Control hits 19 million players on its 5th anniversary, with free copies making up majority of total

Remedy Entertainment is celebrating the 5th anniversary of Control. The Finnish studio has shared some more figures for its successful action game.

Control has surpassed 19 million players since its launch on August 27, 2019, Remedy announced in a blog post.

The studio didn’t specify how many of those are actual sales, but the game has been free-to-claim on the Epic Games Store several times, not to mention being part of subscription services like PS Plus and Game Pass. So free copies account for the majority of the total.

“Once again, we want to say thank you to this amazing community for all the support you’ve shown the team over the years,” the statement reads. “Since entering the Oldest House for the very first time back in 2019, we’ve been blown away by your kindness.”

By the end of 2021, Control has been played by 15 million players, meaning the game has added another 4 million users since then.

Earlier this year, Remedy revealed that Control has surpassed 4 million units sold globally across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.

Control remains one of the most successful titles in the history of Remedy. As of February 2024, it has generated around €100 million in net revenue. The game can be considered a commercial success, especially given its €30 million budget (it was financed 50/50 by Remedy and 505 Games).

Remedy was entitled to a 45% of the game’s net revenue. In February, the Finnish studio acquired the full rights to the Control IP for €17 million from 505 Games, getting back all the publishing, distribution, marketing, and other rights to the franchise.

Right now, Remedy is working on Control 2 and its four-player co-op spin-off codenamed Project Condor. As of June 30, 2024, Control 2 entered the production readiness stage, while Condor was in full production.