505 Games

505 Games is an Italian video game publisher and distributor known for backing distinctive titles like Control, Death Stranding, and Terraria. Founded in 2006 and owned by Digital Bros, the company built its reputation by pairing bold creative studios with the marketing and distribution muscle to get their games in front of a global audience.

The History of 505 Games

505 Games was founded in 2006 as the publishing arm of Italian holding company Digital Bros. The publisher originally operated out of Milan before relocating its headquarters to Calabasas, California, while keeping offices across Europe, China, and Japan. Over nearly two decades the company has shifted from a distributor of mid-budget retail games into a publisher associated with auteur-driven and genre-defining titles, alongside a steady catalog of sandbox, racing, and indie releases.

Control by Remedy Entertainment

Control is one of the titles most closely tied to the 505 Games name. Developed by Remedy Entertainment, the action-adventure follows Jesse Faden as she navigates the shifting halls of the Federal Bureau of Control, a secretive government agency overrun by a supernatural threat known as the Hiss. The game’s mix of telekinetic combat, brutalist architecture, and weird fiction earned wide critical acclaim and became a cornerstone of 505 Games’ modern identity. The publisher later partnered with Remedy again to co-publish the franchise’s follow-up.

Death Stranding and Kojima Productions

505 Games published the PC release of Death Stranding, Hideo Kojima’s first project after leaving Konami. The open-world game casts Sam Porter Bridges as a courier tasked with reconnecting a shattered America across treacherous, otherworldly terrain. Its deliberate pacing and unconventional traversal divided players, but its ambition made it one of the most talked-about releases of its generation, and bringing it to PC widened its reach well beyond the original PlayStation launch.

Terraria, Assetto Corsa, and the Wider Catalog

Beyond its marquee partnerships, 505 Games maintains a broad catalog. It handles console and mobile publishing for Terraria, the long-running 2D sandbox that still draws huge player numbers with each major update. Through Kunos Simulazioni, the Italian studio behind the series, 505 Games is also tied to Assetto Corsa, the racing simulation franchise that expanded with Assetto Corsa EVO and the rally-focused Assetto Corsa Rally. The publisher also distributed the retail version of No Man’s Sky, further widening its reach across genres.

Recent and Upcoming 505 Games Titles

505 Games has stayed active with newer releases including WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers, the Soulslike Blades of Fire from MercurySteam, and Crime Boss: Rockay City. In 2024 the publisher acquired the Ghostrunner franchise outright, and it has Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement, a new entry produced by Koji Igarashi, lined up for release. The mix reflects a publisher willing to back both established names and newer studios across action, racing, and RPG genres.

How 505 Games Works With Developers

505 Games operates as more than a logo on a box. The company frequently enters co-publishing and co-development arrangements, providing funding, production support, and distribution while leaving creative control with the studios it works with. That model is what allowed a Finnish studio like Remedy and a creator like Kojima to ship singular projects without sanding off the rough edges that made them distinctive, and it remains the throughline across the publisher’s most notable releases.