When Campo Santo, developers of thesurprise hit adventure gameFirewatch, dissolved to join Valve, the studio members insisted that joining Valve would be an additive effort, that the Valve “mindshare” would only improve the team’s game development process. However, it now seems that this process may have resulted in the ex-Campo Santo team’s in-development game,In the Valley of Gods, walking through the valley itself, so to speak.
The Valve News Network, ever watchful of all things Valve, noted a sudden change among ex-Campo Santo developers' Twitter profiles. The profiles of at least three different ex-Campo Santo devs all referenced that they were working onIn the Valley of Godsas recently as March and April of 2019. Those Twitter profiles now have all mention ofIn the Valley of Godsremoved. Similarly, the game is unseen on Campo Santo’s old website, though it remains listed on Valve’s official website where in-development titles appear.
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While neitherValve nor any of the ex-Campo Santo membershave explicitly stated whatIn the Valley of Godshas been canceled, the actions of the team and Valve itself speak loudly. That action was taken to remove the game’s name from the developers' profiles and Valve’s website indicates that an action has been taken within Valve itself. Perhaps the game was canceled, perhaps development was paused, but regardless of what’s happened, Valve and Campo Santo don’t want fans to think it’s still in active development.
To be fair toCampo Santo’s developers, the team was always honest thatIn the Valley of Gods' development wasn’t guaranteed to be finished. A certain quote from Campo Santo co-founder Sean Vanaman is worth bringing up again. “The thing that was going to kill our game wasn’t an overlord. It’s never going to be that. That’s just not what exists here.” It’s almost as if the quote is prescient, a reply to questions regarding whyIn the Valley of Godsmay or may not have been canceled. If it is, it’s because the team’s members have found something else that’s more exciting and interesting to them.
Another Vanaman quote from back when Campo Santo joinedValveis worth considering going forward. “I just know that I probably can’t imagine the next thing I’m working on, and that’s ****ing awesome.” Maybe the ex-Campo Santo team isn’t ready to talk about what happened withIn the Valley of Gods. Maybe the developer isn’t ready to talk about what its working on next, either. And maybe those two things are related to each other. But, hopefully, the developers are still excited to come into the office and keep making games, much like the devs seem to have been prior.
In the Valley of Godshas no currently announced release window or supported platforms.
