How a small studio sought creative discomfort and ended up inside a gaming giant
In short: Seeking to escape the routine of established game development, four creators founded Campo Santo in 2013. Their debut title, Firewatch, became a critical and commercial success, selling over a million copies. Yet, the studio's trajectory shifted dramatically when they were acquired by Valve, leading to the indefinite suspension of their next project.
In September 2013, Sean Vanaman and Jake Rodkin, both veterans of Telltale Games, teamed up with Nels Anderson and Olly Moss to launch Campo Santo. Driven by a desire to trade the comfort of their previous roles for the risk of independent creation, the founders quickly expanded their team to include talent like Jane Ng and Chris Remo. Their debut project, Firewatch, was heavily influenced by the aesthetic of National Park Service iconography and the visual style of New Deal-era advertisements.
Released in 2016, Firewatch placed players in the role of a fire lookout in Wyoming’s Shoshone National Forest. The game was widely praised and became a defining example of the narrative-focused genre often labeled as walking simulators. However, the studio’s journey was not without friction. In 2016, they faced a controversy involving the unauthorized use of their promotional art by Ford, and in 2017, Vanaman initiated a DMCA takedown against a prominent streamer, triggering a wave of review-bombing on Steam despite the studio's previous open-monetization policy.
By April 2018, the team moved into Valve’s Bellevue headquarters following an acquisition. The transition was framed as a way to maintain creative autonomy while leveraging Valve’s resources. However, this integration proved transformative for their output. Their second project, In the Valley of Gods, was eventually placed on hold. Key members, including Vanaman, were reassigned to major Valve titles such as Half-Life: Alyx and Dota Underlords. By late 2019, the project had largely vanished from the studio’s public presence, marking a quiet end to the independent era of the team that once defined the narrative adventure space.
Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.
Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Campo Santo (company)
To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/places-campo-santo-company.
How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.
General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.
Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?
Related
More in Ghost towns · More in Countries & Cities · Latest · A–Z · All topics
