Indie favorite of 2016 'Firewatch' is headed for the big screen
From the team at indie studio Campo Santo, Firewatch is getting the movie treatment.
The developer will work closely on adapting the game with its new partner (and bona fide Hollywood indie) Good Universe. The two companies will also begin cross-developing future Campo Santo releases for games and film.
Firewatch follows Henry, who embraces the solitary life of a forest fire lookout in the wilds of Wyoming, after tragedy shatters his once-happy existence. His only contact with the civilized world is Delilah, his supervisor, who appears as a disembodied voice on the radio.
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As time passes, Henry and Delilah form a unique relationship -- one that the player shapes through their own dialogue choices. There's a deeper mystery at the heart of Firewatch, but really, it's a story about people and the relationships they maintain.
We had some issues with Firewatch, mostly relating to its short length and how that affected the game's emotional core. They're the sort of criticisms that a movie could potentially address.
Campo Santo formed in 2013 around a core team of well-established game development talents. Sean Vanaman came from Telltale Games, where he was the lead writer on The Walking Dead.
He teamed up with another Telltale vet, Jake Rodkin, as well as Nels Anderson, a lead designer from the well-regarded Klei Entertainment, and artist Olly Moss.
For Firewatch, the team enlisted the talents of Rich Sommer (Mad Men), to voice Henry, and Cissy Jones (Telltale's The Walking Dead), to voice Delilah. It's not clear if there are plans to rope in either one for the movie.
Good Universe is also an indie, in its own way. The production company was founded in 2012 by former Lionsgate president Joe Drake and former Mandate Pictures president Nathan Kahane.
The company's released a small-but-mighty catalog that includes Neighbors and its 2016 sequel, the U.S. remake of Oldboy from 2013 and Sony's still-kicking summer thriller, Don't Breathe.
Bear in mind, just because Firewatch is in development as a movie, doesn't mean it will definitely happen. Stories like this spring up all the time on the movies beat, and from the sound of this partnership announcement, it is very early days for Campo Santo and Good Universe.
That said, these are both small and agile companies -- and Firewatch is no Call of Duty.
It's a small, location-dependent story that hinges more on strong, relatable characters than eye candy.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
