Firewatch
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A 'Firewatch' movie is in the works, again
A Firewatch movie is once again in development after the rights to the initial film reverted to Campo Santo.
'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.
America's love affair with firearms bleeds into gaming culture
Gaming culture is rife with graphic representations of gun violence and has been since arcade goers first blew aliens out of Space Invader's skies. You'll be hard-pressed to find more than a handful of AAA titles designed for adults (sit down Rayman) that don't rely on firearms, or use gore in substitution, either as a primary tool for the gameplay or as a thematic element.
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.
Valve thinks charts will negate Steam review bombing
Review bombing in the gaming community is a woefully old concept, but after it took the spotlight again this month, following yet another racist outburst from YouTuber PewDiePie, Valve is taking action to mitigate the damaging effects it can have on game developers. Instead of single review scores, game pages will now be accompanied by a histogram displaying a visual history of user reviews.
'Inside' wins big at the 2017 BAFTA Games Awards
The annual BAFTA game awards were held at London's Tobacco Dock last night, celebrating the best software and creative, talented individuals from 2016. Playdead's quiet, thought-provoking Inside was easily the most successful, picking up the awards for artistic achievement, game design, narrative and original property. Fellow indie Firewatch took home best debut game, while Virginia was recognised for its music and That Dragon, Cancer won the game innovation category. Four-player frenzy Overcooked also had a good evening, winning the best family and British game awards.
Indie game award finalists include 'Hyper Light Drifter' and 'Inside'
Now that media outlets have handed out awards to blockbuster games, it's time for the indies to shine. The Independent Games Festival has posted the finalists for its main competition's 2017 awards, and there are a few competitors who clearly stand out from the pack. Both the retro hack-and-slasher Hyper Light Drifter and bleak side-scroller Inside are nominated not only for the Seumas McNally grand prize, but also the audio and visual design awards. Other titles receiving multiple nods will definitely sound familiar if you've been following the scene, including the hacking-themed puzzler Quadrilateral Cowboy and the chaotic food hit Overcooked.
'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.
Recommended Reading: The Super Bowl MVP is a huge nerd
Nerd Von Miller, The Players' Tribune You may not be able to tell by his on-field dominance, but Super Bowl MVP and Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller is a huge nerd. Miller, some fellow players and friends discussed his geekiness for The Players' Tribune recently. The stories are quite entertaining, and yes, he used to wear Rec Specs.
Recommended Reading: Twitter's identity crisis
What Everyone's Got Wrong About Twitter (Including Twitter) Ian Schafer, Recode Twitter's earnings dropped this week, followed by a number of theories on the future of the company. Deep Focus founder and chairman Ian Schafer posted an op-ed on the matter to discuss the social network's identity crisis. Is it a media company? Is it a data company? Schafer makes the case that Twitter needs to decide soon, for it's own good.
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."
Former Klei, Telltale devs reveal first-person mystery Firewatch
Indie developer Campo Santo announced its first game, a first-person mystery named Firewatch. The game is set in the Wyoming wilderness, "where your only human connection is communicating with your supervisor over a handheld radio," according to the game's announcement blog. The game's protagonist, whose job is to "look for smoke and keep the wilderness safe," winds up exploring a "wild and unknown environment" after something pulls them away from their watchtower. Firewatch's official site says the game will press players with "interpersonal choices" that will affect players' relationships with Delilah, the supervisor in question. Campo Santo was formed in September 2013 by former Telltale and Klei developers, including Mark of the Ninja lead designer Nels Anderson and artist Olly Moss. The Cave co-writer Chris Remo joined the team in February after departing from Double Fine. [Image: Campo Santo]
