After his city builder flopped in early access, Firewatch’s Nels Anderson didn’t give up: ‘Smarter people than me … probably would’ve pulled the plug’ | PC Gamer Skip to main content Join The Club – Join our community JOIN NOW 11Premium Benefits 24/7Access Available 28K+Active Members Exclusive Articles Member-only articles Weekly Newsletters Gaming & entertainment news Commenting Join the discussion Member Badges Earn badges as you go Exclusive Competitions Members-only prize draws Early Access See the latest gaming news first GET CLUB ACCESS QUICK For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information. Find out more GET CLUB ACCESS QUICK Join the club for quick access. Enter your email below and we’ll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Sign Up By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Welcome to PC Gamer club ! Hi , Your membership journey starts here. Keep exploring and earning more as a member. MY ACCOUNT Earn your first badge Read 1 article to unlock your first badge. Keep earning badges Explore ways to get more involved as a member. Latest Games News Breaking gaming news and updates Explore Latest Hardware News News and reviews of the latest PC hardware. Explore See what you’ve unlocked. Explore your membership benefits. Explore Member Exclusives Stay Ahead with PC Gamer Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox. Explore Sign Out Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these FPS Survival shooter Road to Vostok ‘secured the entire production budget for this game for years and years to come’ within 24 hours of its Steam early access launch The Elder Scrolls Skyrim’s co-lead designer says Starfield’s main problem is that it never fully cohered as a game: ‘It was a releasable game, but it wasn’t the best’ Action Open world crime game Samson had to be pared back mid-development, which led to its unusual structure: ‘It’s become more unique’ Adventure ‘Any update is a bonus not a right’: Peak devs snap back at ungrateful players demanding more updates, ‘Neither us or Aggro Crab are live service studios’ Life Sim ‘I’m not going to release anything I’m not happy with’: Eric Barone says Haunted Chocolatier will be out when it’s good and ready, ‘even if that takes years and years’ Games The best indie games on PC RPG Crimson Desert is great because it’s a total mess, not in spite of it, and I hope Pearl Abyss doesn’t change too much Gaming Industry Xalavier Nelson Jr, director of Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator, will never uninstall Warframe and would love to see an Outriders 2: ‘I think that game would have been really special’ Action Just Cause dev co-founder says the studio got too big and ‘numbers focused,’ so he quit and made a $25 open world crime brawler Gaming Industry Soren Johnson on keeping his game studio small: ‘You get better games if you take longer to make games’ FPS Laid-off Highguard developer cuts loose on the reaction to the infamous Game Awards reveal trailer: ‘We were turned into a joke from minute one’ Roguelike ‘I’m not sure it was a rational decision’: Caves of Qud devs ported the roguelike to Nintendo Switch because they’re ‘interested in solving impossible problems’ RPG After 2 years in early access, Greedfall: The Dying World still feels unfinished Gaming Industry The director of Tales of Kenzera: Zau learned his most important game development lesson while working with Ridley Scott: ‘That’s why we’re able to make games faster’ FPS Highguard’s failure is emblematic of something that has tormented videogame investors for years now: past live service hits do not equal future live service hits PopularClipsCrimson DesertMarathonBest PC gearQuizzesUpcoming games Games City Builder After his city builder flopped in early access, Firewatch’s Nels Anderson didn’t give up: ‘Smarter people than me … probably would’ve pulled the plug’ News By Tyler Wilde published 13 April 2026 Generation Exile hits 1.0 this week after over seven years of development. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Sonderlust Studios) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter PC Gamer The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday GamesRadar+ Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you’re going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Signup + Every Thursday GTA 6 O’clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O’clock experts. Signup + Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what’s on the horizon. Signup + Every Thursday The Setup Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more. Signup + Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo’s new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to pla
After his city builder flopped in early access, Firewatch's Nels Anderson didn't give up: 'Smarter people than me … probably would've pulled the plug'
After his city builder flopped in early access, Firewatch's Nels Anderson didn't give up: 'Smarter people than me … probably would�