Fireplace Games

Fireplace Games was an independent French video game developer founded in Montpellier in May 2020 by eight graduates of Supinfogame Rubika. The studio focused on character-driven action adventures, combining fencing, environmental improvisation, stylized visuals and theatrical comedy. Its commercial release, En Garde!, developed a student project into a standalone game for PC.

The team's collaboration began with a master's graduation prototype in 2018. That early version established the foundations of a lighthearted swashbuckling adventure inspired by a 17th-century setting. Before forming the company, members of the group spent two years gaining professional experience at studios including Ubisoft, Amplitude Studios and Sloclap. They subsequently reunited to turn their shared project into a commercial production.

Combat and creative approach

The commercial version of En Garde! was rebuilt from the ground up. It follows Adalia de Volador as she confronts the tyrannical Count-Duke, placing acrobatic swordplay and playful encounters at the centre of the experience. Environmental objects form part of the combat: players can kick barrels, drop chandeliers and improvise ways to disrupt opponents. Rapid theatrical exchanges and dynamic banter complement the game's physical comedy and stylized presentation.

Fireplace Games operated as an internal game production studio rather than a supplier of development services to outside clients. Its work brought together game design, technical design, level design, character animation, art and writing around a single original production.

En Garde! launched on Steam for Windows on August 16, 2023, with publishing involvement from Fireplace Games and Kepler Ghost / Kepler Interactive. The supplied research describes a positive critical reception for its combat, visual style and humour. The studio did not proceed to a second commercial production. It ceased business operations in August 2025, followed by the completion of liquidation and removal from the commercial register that December.