The design draws inspiration from New Deal advertisements by the National Park Service and field research conducted in Yosemite National Park.
The game's environment was modelled by Ng, based on a single painting by Moss. 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. Over the course of the summer, Henry and Delilah appear to be menaced by unseen forces and have to unravel a years-old mystery.
His exchanges with Delilah inform the process by which their relationship is developed. Henry interacts with his supervisor Delilah using a walkie-talkie, with the player choosing from dialog options to communicate. The story follows a fire lookout named Henry who works in Shoshone National Forest.
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.
Firewatch is an adventure game developed by Campo Santo and published by the developer in partnership with Panic.