28th March 2024 Throwback Thursday: Game Informer's Control Cover Feature [April 2019]

Five years ago, Game Informer celebrated the upcoming release of Control with a special month-long coverage of the adventure. 

The spotlight gave online readers the unique opportunity to delve deeper (archived) into the world of the FBC. Packed with articles on her shapeshifting Service Weapon and supernatural abilities, we got the first look at concept art and the opportunity to hear about the game first-hand in developer interviews. These updates were posted every Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays, with surprise content scheduled in between, including their  

The month-long feature kicked off, as always, with their cover reveal. For their April 2019 issue, they featured an awe-inspiring design by Faraz Shayner, a freelance artist who also created the oil painting-style paintings of Director Jesse Faden, Director Zachariah Trench, Dr Casper Darling, and Ahti that players could discover on the walls. 

Originally from Tehran (Iran), Faraz Shanyar currently lives in Uppsala (Sweden), where he is the Senior Concept Artist at Machine Games. He lists his father as his inspiration to become an artist, and later honed his skills at art school and university. While at the latter, he began his career working for magazines and animation studios until he moved abroad at 27. The Game Informer cover was created after returning to Iran after a series of projects abroad. During this time, he was teaching his craft at a private art school, while also working as a freelancer with Remedy for Control. 

Specially designed for the Game Informer cover, the artwork features Jesse Faden showcasing one of her unique abilities. Her Service Weapon, explored in the outlet's articles, securely in her hand. On the back of the issue stood Trench looking from the shadows. While the piece was fantastic to discover back in March 2019, Trench's look takes on a different meaning once you've played through the adventure. 

The only downside to Game Informer coverage at the time was for collectors outside of the United States. When the Control issue was released, digital issues weren't easily accessible. And while the publication is the largest gaming magazine in the world, if you're outside of the USA, your best hope of grabbing an issue was through Ebay or another online marketplace. 

Source: Fable Hatch, Playgrounds, and Game Informer (archive).

Posted in: