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'Firewatch' comes to Nintendo Switch on December 17th
After a months-long wait, Firewatch is just about ready for the Nintendo Switch. Campo Santo has announced that its outdoor adventure (and journey of self-discovery) will reach the hybrid console on December 17th through the Nintendo eShop in the Americas, Europe, Australia and Japan. It's the same game as you'll find on other consoles (with a "few tiny things" thrown in, the studio said), but that does mean you'll get post-launch additions like free roaming. There's no mention of pricing, but hey -- now's your chance to go on a virtual hike when you're outdoors in real life.
Valve acquires the creators of 'Firewatch'
Campo Santo has widely been regarded as the little game studio that could. Its very first game, Firewatch, won numerous awards and even landed a movie deal. It won't be quite so indie going forward, however: the development team is joining Valve. While the full terms aren't available, the team members are moving to Bellevue, Washington and will continue developing In the Valley of Gods as a Valve game. There's no word yet on how this will affect Idle Thumbs podcasts co-hosted by three of Campo Santo's staffers.
'Firewatch' is the latest indie game headed to Nintendo Switch
The folks at Campo Santo are bringing Firewatch to the Nintendo Switch. The developers have been busy stripping the game "down to the studs" to improve performance. Specifically, optimizing load times for textures and geometry. "We know what a good Switch game feels like, and want to make sure Firewatch feels like that too," Campo Santo writes. What's more, those updates will eventually make their way to the Mac, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions.
'Firewatch' studio Campo Santo is building an Egyptian adventure
Campo Santo, the independent studio behind Firewatch, is working on a new game called In the Valley of Gods. It's a first-person adventure set in the 1920s that takes players through the abandoned, ancient deserts of Egypt. Here's how Campo Santo describes it: "You play as an explorer and filmmaker who, along with your old partner, has traveled to the middle of the desert in the hopes of making a seemingly-impossible discovery and an incredible film."
'Uncharted,' 'Firewatch' dominate The Game Awards nominations
The Game Awards show has made it a point to recognize more than just the usual blockbuster hits, and it looks like that will remain true when the 2016 ceremony takes place on December 1st. Geoff Keighley's outfit has unveiled its nominees for this year, and there's a healthy mix of triple-A titles and indies. It won't shock you to hear that big names like Battlefield 1, Doom, Overwatch, Titanfall 2 and Uncharted 4 are up for multiple awards, of course. However, smaller projects like Inside (up for game of the year), Hyper Light Drifter and Firewatch make up a large chunk of the selections.
Firewatch's free-roam mode wants you to take a hike on PC, PS4
Sometimes the best therapy for whatever you're going through is taking a walk in the woods and reconnecting with nature. With temperatures starting to drop and urban living, though, that might not be the easiest thing for everyone to do. A pair of free updates to this year's indie darling Firewatch, might offer a virtual respite from current events, however. The game's free-roam mode is available now for players on PlayStation 4 and Steam. it made its way to the Xbox One prior to today. Before you can start hiking what develop Campo Santo describes as "miles of trails" and experiencing a dynamic 24-hour day-and-night cycle, though, you'll have to finish the story mode first. Just a heads up.
Indie game darling 'Firewatch' is heading to movie theaters
Physical photographs aren't the only way Firewatch will invade the real world. Developer Campo Santo recently revealed a partnership with production house Good Universe (Neighbors and Last Vegas) to make a movie based on the indie game about a fire lookout in a Wyoming forest, according to The Hollywood Reporter. No other details are available at the time, but fingers crossed that some enterprising Ford dealership doesn't repurpose the movie's eventual trailer for a summer sales event.
'Firewatch' comes to Xbox One on September 21st with bonus modes
Campo Santo's wilderness mystery Firewatch became an instant indie classic when it was released back in February, but only on PC and PS4. The San Francisco-based studio is fixing that gap in its game's playerbase with an Xbox One launch on September 21st and throwing in a few extras to boot.
Tech journalist Will Smith launches a talk show in VR
When Will Smith (no, not that one) announced he was leaving Tested to start his own virtual reality company last September, it came as a bit of a shock. But sometimes you see something so powerful that you can't do anything to stop yourself from pursuing it. Now Smith has revealed exactly what he's doing: A talk show filmed entirely in VR called The FOO Show. "My goal with The FOO Show is to showcase amazing creators and their works in ways that were never before possible, using virtual reality," he writes on Medium.
Firewatch Photos will print and ship your in-game snapshots
In-game photo modes are cool and all, but beyond sharing your Driveclub or Arkham Knight snaps via social media, there isn't much you can do with them. Well, in the PC version of Firewatch (out this week, and on PlayStation 4) you can go a step further and have them printed and mailed to you from the folks at developer Campo Santo and publisher Panic. There's an in-game disposable camera, you see, and photographing artist Olly Moss's gorgeous landscapes is highly recommended; $15 nets you a set of 4" x 6" prints and they'll ship free "almost anywhere." TechnoBuffalo notes that after finishing the game you're presented with a link to an online store to place an order for your shots; that publication's photos are embedded below.
'Firewatch' reaches PC and PS4 on February 9th, 2016
Campo Santo's Firewatch has racked up its fair share of hype: its creators hail from venerable studios like Telltale and Double Fine, and it's based on the unusual premise of serving as a lookout in the Wyoming wilderness. If that sounds intriguing, you'll be glad to hear that it won't be much longer before you can try it yourself. The team has revealed that Firewatch will be available on Linux, Mac, Windows and PlayStation 4 on February 9th, 2016. There's still a lot to show about the game in the months ahead, but early reports are promising. It thrives on strong characterization (you play a middle-aged man retreating from a failing marriage), and it blends first-person exploration with the challenges of a classic adventure game. Hopefully, the finished title lives up to the early promise.
Recommended Reading: Marvel's 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' hits its stride
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Used to be Terrible. Now it's Terrific. by Todd VanDerWerff Vox I've watched all of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and at the beginning, it was pretty awful. The show, now well into its second season, has improved drastically and it became some of my favorite weekly viewing. As Vox's Todd VanDerWerff notes, the series "seems designed to turn every single negative on the show into a positive through sheer force of will."
