Firewatch is being made into a feature film

Campo Santo, the studio behind the watching-for-fire simulator Firewatch, revealed today that it has partnered with motion picture production company Good Universe to develop new videogame and film projects—beginning with a feature film based on Firewatch.

“When we met Good Universe we were floored by how they recognize, cultivate, and produce incredible stories,” Campo Santo co-founder Sean Vanaman told The Hollywood Reporter. “It's rare you meet another group that shares so many of your values and makes the process of creating things even more exciting. We can't wait to see what we make together.”

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Firewatch, as a very linear and relatively non-interactive videogame, is an obvious fit for a movie translation, and I've seen a few people say that it might actually make for a better movie than a game. I don't agree: “Walking simulator” aspersions notwithstanding, I thought Firewatch did a fantastic job of instilling the feeling of persistent isolation and the tricks it can play, and of capturing the unearthly beauty of the deep forest with its bold, and decidedly unrealistic, visual style. The story could serve as the basis for an interesting, if ultimately conventional, in-the-woods thriller, but that's a long way from what I would say is the Firewatch experience. 

But hey, your mileage may vary. And since casting choices haven't been announced, let's do that instead. I'll go first: I think Rich Sommer would be a great Henry, and I'll go with, say, Cissy Jones as Delilah. Other ideas?

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.