505 Games

505 Games is the publisher that sneaks up on you. One minute you’re replaying Terraria for the 100th time, and the next you’re getting blown away by Control, Death Stranding on PC, or slicing through cyborgs in Ghostrunner. Based in Italy (yep, spaghetti and game publishing), 505 has been behind some of the coolest mid-sized hits in the industry since 2006.

They’ve published everything from indie gems to big cinematic bangers. Whether you’re building racetracks in Assetto Corsa, solving family trauma in Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, or trying not to cry while carrying a baby in Death Stranding, chances are 505 had a hand in it.

They’ve had some recent bumps—selling the Control IP back to Remedy and shutting down a few EU offices—but they’re still alive and pushing out new games like Wuchang: Fallen Feathers and Blades of Fire. So yeah, they’re not done yet—and if history tells us anything, their next sleeper hit is probably already loading in the background.