Firewatch Creator Campo Santo Acquired By Valve

Firewatch development studio Campo Santo, which is currently working on first-person adventure game In the Valley of the Gods, has been acquired by Valve.

The news comes directly from Campo Santo, who posted a full announcement on their blog. Originally founded by members of Telltale studio, Campo Santo elaborated on why they decided to join up with a larger studio again. The company said they not only like video games, but the idea of making their customers happy. "From the day-to-day production of our last game, Firewatch, to the way we run the company, make merchandise, meet players at expos and shows, send out a quarterly literary journal, throw open-to-the-public game demos in the middle of an artificial forest—all of it is geared towards surprising, delighting, and entertaining the customers who have shared in our success," the studio said.

"In us," the studio goes on to say, "[Valve] found a group with unique experience and valuable, diverse perspectives. It quickly became an obvious match."

The studio then answered a few of the questions the community might have about the future of the studio. In the Valley of Gods is still in production but will now be a Valve game, while Firewatch will continue to receive support. Additionally, the company will continue to produce its regular Quarterly Review (regular articles exploring topics from within and without the video game industry written by writer Duncan Fyfe), as well as its regular blog content.

[Source: Campo Santo]

 

Our Take
I really enjoyed Firewatch, and In The Valley of Gods also looks like it'll be intriguing. When it comes to the latter, having Valve's manpower and resources at their disposal sounds like a recipe for a more ambitious and well-produced game. Which makes me wonder: When Valve said it was going to start making games again, is this what they meant?