Here’s a second, very tiny look at Remedy’s co-op Control spin-off
Still codenamed ‘Condor’, still a co-op Control spin-off
There’s a teaser image on the wall. We stare at it and we think that’s the whole multiplayer shooter set in the Control franchise. Then, Remedy sneak a second teaser image alongside some tantalising lore snippets into their latest investor report (Thanks, resetera!) Also there’s an air fryer that turns nuggets into miniature black holes, or something. I’m not sure because, honestly, I never learned to appreciate Control’s wonderful architecture and lore because the combat made me want to gnaw my fingers off. Good news, then, for everyone except me specifically. We’ve got a few more scraps of info about its (presumably) almost entirely combat focused spin-off title, currently known as ‘Condor’.
“After the Hiss invasion, the Oldest House is under lockdown: a boiling pot of volatile and dangerous supernatural forces,” forewarns the infographic. “Trapped within is the last vestige of the Federal Bureau of Control who will need to take a stand and push back to regain control.” You can take shifts watching the full image in case it does anything untoward below.
Based on our considerable sample size of two entire assets so far, I think it’s fair to say Condor will at least orbit the four player co-op PVE genre in some capacity. I’ll generally try out almost any Left 4 Dead-like for at least a few hours, but I’m most intrigued by the double mention of “gear”. Rank-and-file members of the FBC presumably won’t have access to either Jesse’s shapeshifting gun relic or her range of telekinetic powers. Being able to fling foes into shattering concrete was one of Control’s greatest joys, but I’m intrigued to see this sort of thing replicated through more mundane, ghostbuster-y contraptions. Limited jetpack charges for flying? Kinetic shotguns? Grenades with the last pained exhalations of psychic entities trapped inside? This stuff is far more interesting, I think, than basically being a superhero.
Elsewhere, the same investor report suggests Condor will be implementing a live service model, or a “Service-based fixed price game” as it calls it. This includes “potentially microtransactions” which, while irksome on principal, isn’t too surprising for this type of game. Either way, Remedy will at least be seeing any revenue themselves. They recently bought the rights to Control, including its in development sequel and any spin-offs like Condor, from publisher 505 Games.