The video game developer super-team at Campo Santo has finally announced its debut project: Firewatch. It’s a first-person exploration game set in the Wyoming wilderness. You play as Henry, a fire lookout who works in this remote environment as a way of stepping away from the world. His only form of human contact comes by way of a handheld radio, which links to his supervisor, Delilah. A strange happening prompts Henry to leave the safety of his tower, and his actions “build or destroy the only meaningful relationship you have,” according to the newly launched website.
You might now be wondering why Campo Santo is a big deal. The studio formed late in 2013 around a group of established industry veterans. Former Telltale Games folks Jake Rodkin and Sean Vanaman, both of whom contributed to The Walking Dead: Season One as creative director and writer, respectively; Nels Anderson, who served as creative director on Klei’s Mark of the Ninja; and Olly Moss, a noted artist who may be most familiar to gamers as the guy who crafted the eye-catchingly minimalist cover art for Resistance 3.
There’s not much more to say about the game right now. It sounds like the team is far off from a release, with a vague hope to launch in 2015 expressed in the FAQ on the official site. Linux, Mac, and Windows are the targeted platforms to start with, but the possibility of a console release is being explored as well. Given the pedigree of this crew, that seems like a distinct possibility. Firewatch will be published by the Portland-based software firm Panic Inc., and this will be both the developer and the publisher’s first game.
Also, perhaps most importantly, the Red Panda (or Red Cat-Bear, if you prefer) is Campo Santo’s official spirit animal. Good choice.
