News that Digital Bros. (and its publishing subsidiary 505 Games) is going through a restructuring process is not new. Back in November, they announced they would be laying off 30% of their employees in a wave of layoffs in 2023, primarily affecting the development studio workforce. In line with the international trend, layoffs appear to be continuing and now it affects the offices of Italian multinationals scattered across Europe.
As Gamereactor can now confirm, similar to EA, Activision or 2K Games in recent years, 505 Games will now have a branch in the old world and have no local representation. This means that Germany, Spain and France are being closed (some after 15+ years of activity), in addition to the headquarters in Milan and retaining the British company due to its operational differences, thus ending marketing, communication and relationship activities.
The headcount isn’t as high as last year’s, as fewer than 10 people were affected, but it does mean a significant loss of direct regional relationships, a move other publishers have made before with questionable results.
All eyes are on Control 2, Assetto Corsa 2, and Project Iron
What about ongoing projects? While today’s news doesn’t directly impact the development and publishing department, at the same time there’s the coincidental announcement that Remedy now retains the rights to its sequel and upcoming Control, which they’ve been working on hand-in-hand with 505 Games until now That makes Control 2 a reality.
The second big question mark hangs over Assetto Corsa 2, which is expected to be launched in 2024. The relationship with Rome-based studio Kunos Simulazioni is naturally closer, and it remains to be seen how the brand will handle what will undoubtedly be its flagship release this year, given last year’s ongoing restructuring and direct layoffs at the studio.
Finally, let’s not forget about 505 Games’ upcoming massive AAA dark fantasy project, developed by MercurySteam. Last summer, we got a fuller look at Project Iron’s storytelling and strong graphics by speaking with its director, Enric Álvarez, though the game isn’t expected until late 2024 or It won’t launch until early 2025, and even if the studio retains the IP and remains completely independent from Digital Bros, it remains to be seen how the publisher’s belt-tightening on various fronts might affect its schedule.
