Games students support Great Ormond Street Hospital
09 May 2025
Developed by a team of Games Academy students, Fireside Fables is more than just a final-year project – it’s a collaborative effort rooted in improving experiences for children at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). The game enables players to go on adventures as a plushie, exploring whimsical worlds using childlike imagination.
We caught up with Creative Director Tom Hunt to find out more about the game’s origins, what it’s like to showcase at the London Games Festival, and why giving back to GOSH means so much to him and the team.
Can you tell us about your new game, Fireside Fables? What inspired the idea?
Fireside Fables is a narrative-driven 3D platformer. You play through your plushie’s greatest adventures, exploring whimsical worlds and re-discovering your inner child.
The idea came from my own childhood – playing imaginary games with my brother and friends. As a team, we wanted to explore what it might feel like to be in hospital as a child, and the kinds of everyday experiences they might miss. We felt it was important to highlight the role imagination plays in helping children through difficult times.
We’ve been developing Fireside Fables since October 2024, and we’re aiming to release the game in Q4 2025. The team behind the game – InkForge Studios – is fairly large and includes contributors from both within and beyond the University. Some of the key members include Archie Crampton as Narrative Director, Oliver Wheeler as Lead 3D Artist, and Fred Hill as Lead 2D Artist. We’ve also had input from some third-party composers and content creators. It’s been a real collaborative effort – the full team can be found here.
How did it feel to be selected for the London Games Festival?
Being selected as part of the official showcase was a massive boost to our confidence! When you’re developing a game, it can be hard to picture how it will turn out, and you can begin to question whether you’re on the right path. Receiving that recognition for all our hard work gave a huge morale boost to the whole team and was definitely cause for celebration!
How did the collaboration with GOSH come about?
We began working with GOSH when we first formed InkForge Studios. We knew we wanted to create a game that would have a meaningful impact – even if it was just for one person – and started brainstorming how we could use games to help people.
I spent a lot of time at GOSH as a child, so giving something back to the hospital for all the amazing work they do felt right. We’ve had regular calls with the charity team, held playtesting sessions with the children, and even featured artwork from GOSH patients in our previous game, I'll Be Brave, Tomorrow. We plan to do something similar for Fireside Fables.
Ultimately we hope to raise as much money as possible to help critically ill children at GOSH – 25% of the game’s revenue will go towards helping them build their new children's cancer centre.
How does imagination influence the gameplay and design of Fireside Fables?
A child’s imagination isn’t something clear or easily understood – children often jump from one idea to another, sometimes in completely nonsensical ways. For Fireside Fables, we wanted to lean into that kind of thinking, creating varied worlds that can change at a moment’s notice.
Our aim is to make the game worlds feel cohesive by being as uncohesive as possible! One moment you might be exploring a pirate ship, the next jumping on a moon made of cheese – it’s all about making the nonsensical make sense.
How did your courses help prepare you for this project?
We’ve had really valuable support from our supervisor, John Meakin. He’s been amazing – helping with everything from design decisions to visual style. He’s also been incredibly encouraging on a personal level, always offering help and giving the team a big boost when we needed it most.
What are your hopes for Fireside Fables, future games, and your careers?
We’re aiming to release Fireside Fables in Q4 2025 on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. We’re already in the process of porting our previous game to all consoles.
Our main goal is to help GOSH as much as possible – and to do that, we want to create a high-quality, enjoyable game that players around the world can connect with. After launch, we hope to continue working together as InkForge Studios, creating games that make a positive impact – even if it’s just bringing a smile to one player’s face.
Looking ahead, the team has big dreams. For example, Archie Crampton wants to – and will – work among the best narrative designers in the industry. Personally, I’ve got my sights set on becoming CEO at PlayStation. We’ll see where we end up over the next 20 years!
We also started our Kickstarter campaign throughout April – please support us if you can!
External links
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inkforgestudios/fireside-fables
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3365560/Fireside_Fables_Cozy_OpenWorld_Adventure
https://www.inkforgestudios.com
https://inkforge-studios.itch.io/project-imagination
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