Firewatch

Firewatch
Artwork by Olly Moss, depicting a fire lookout in the Shoshone National Forest
Developer(s)Campo Santo
Publisher(s)
Director(s)
Producer(s)
Designer(s)
Programmer(s)
  • Ben Burbank
  • Nels Anderson
  • Patrick Ewing
  • Paolo Surricchio
  • William Armstrong
Artist(s)
  • Jane Ng
  • Olly Moss
Writer(s)
  • Chris Remo
  • Jake Rodkin
  • Olly Moss
  • Sean Vanaman
Composer(s)Chris Remo
EngineUnity
Platform(s)
ReleaseLinux, OS X, PlayStation 4, Windows
  • WW: February 9, 2016
Xbox One
  • NA: September 21, 2016
  • EU: September 30, 2016
  • AU: October 14, 2016
Nintendo Switch
  • WW: December 17, 2018
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Firewatch is an adventure game developed by Campo Santo and published by the developer in partnership with Panic. The game was released in February 2016 for Linux, OS X, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in September 2016, and for Nintendo Switch in December 2018. The story follows a fire lookout named Henry who works in Shoshone National Forest. Henry interacts with his supervisor Delilah using a walkie-talkie, with the player choosing from dialog options to communicate. His exchanges with Delilah inform the process by which their relationship is developed. Over the course of the summer, Henry and Delilah appear to be menaced by unseen forces and have to unravel a years-old mystery.

The game was directed by Olly Moss and Sean Vanaman, written by Chris Remo, Jake Rodkin, Moss and Vanaman, and produced by Gabe McGill and artist Jane Ng. The game's environment was modelled by Ng, based on a single painting by Moss. The design draws inspiration from New Deal advertisements by the National Park Service and field research conducted in Yosemite National Park.

The game received generally positive reviews, earning praise for its story, characters, dialogue, and visual style, yet the presence of technical issues and the game's ending were both subjects of criticism. Firewatch won the award for Best 3D Visual Experience at the Unity Awards 2016, Best Indie Game at the 2016 Golden Joystick Awards, Best Narrative at the 2017 Game Developers Choice Awards and Debut Game at the 2017 British Academy Games Awards. By late 2016, the game had sold over a million copies.