This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS forControlandFBC: Firebreak.
About a year afterControl’s launch in 2019, Remedy Entertainment announced that its upcoming games would be set in the same shared universe, simply dubbed the “Remedy Connected Universe.” It took no time at all for this universe to find its feet, and now five years on from its announcement,the Remedy Connected Universelives on inFBC: Firebreak.
Set in the same location asControland following that game’s titular Federal Bureau of Control,FBC: Firebreakis firmly and clearly connected to the wider Remedy shared universe. ButFBC: Firebreak’s place in the timeline raises some obvious questions, and it makes the RCU feel surprisingly shallow.
The Remedy Connected Universe Was Building Steady Momentum
InControl’s base game, players can find several collectibles that reference the events ofAlan Wake, claiming that the Bright Falls incident was an “Altered World Event,” or AWE for short. About a year after launch, Remedy unveiled a trailer forControl’s AWE DLC, which teased a crossover betweenControlandAlan Wake.
Soon after,Remedy Creative Director Sam Lakepublished a letter on the company’s website officially announcing the Remedy Connected Universe, and stating thatControl’s AWE DLC would be the first big step into this shared world. The DLC was exactly that, cementing the connection betweenControlandAlan Wakeimmediately by including Dr. Hartman, the Dark Presence, and a few appearances from the eponymous paranatural writer himself.
Alan Wake 2continued to build on these strong foundations, puttingFBC Agent Estevezin a main role in both the game’s main story and its Lake House DLC. AfterAlan Wake 2, the Remedy Connected Universe felt stronger than ever. ButFBC: Firebreakmight have just weakened it.
FBC: Firebreak Brings The Remedy Connected Universe to a Screeching Halt
FBC: Firebreak’s Place in the Remedy Connected Universe Explained
Each Remedy Connected Universe game is generally set in the same year they were originally released. The firstAlan Wakeis set in 2010,Controlin 2019, andAlan Wake 2in 2023.FBC: Firebreakis set in 2025. This puts it two years afterAlan Wake 2, but six whole years afterControl.
Why FBC: Firebreak’s Place in the Remedy Connected Universe is Disappointing
While the FBC made a few appearances inAlan Wake 2, fans haven’t seen the organization’s headquarters or its director sinceControl.FBC: Firebreakis the first proper follow-up, being set in the Oldest House and taking place years afterControl’s ending. ButFirebreak’s place in the timeline is pretty disappointing.
Control’s main story ends with Jesse Faden closing the interdimensional gateway that let the Hiss in, rescuing her brother from the Hiss' corruption, embracing her new role as director of the FBC, and setting off to cleansethe Oldest Houseof the Hiss threat. According toFBC: Firebreak, nothing’s really changed in the six years sinceControl’s ending. The Hiss are still running rampant, and the Oldest House is still in a state of utter chaos.
This raises some obvious lore-related questions. InControl, the Hiss soldiers that Jesse fights are FBC workers who weren’t wearing Hedron Resonance Amplifiers and were corrupted. It’s hard to believe that the Hiss still have an entire army of corrupted FBC soldiers six years after Jesse closed the gateway to their dimension.
FBC: Firebreak’s player-characters all wear small Hedron Resonance Amplifiers on their bodies.
It also raises questions about Jesse’s whereabouts. In its launch iteration,FBC: Firebreakdoes not contain aJesse Faden cameo. Instead, she’s only mentioned once in the lobby, where it’s said she has more important things to deal with.
With Jesse having such a personal connection to the Hiss, andControl’s ending implying that she won’t rest until they’re gone, it’s disappointing and surprising to see them feature so prominently inFBC: Firebreak. These decisions make the Remedy Connected Universe feel as though it’s stuck in time, rather than advancing the story forward.
