GoldFire Studios

GoldFire Studios is an independent video game developer and publisher founded by James Simpson in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Its work spans browser-based multiplayer worlds, cross-platform games and narrative adventures, alongside open-source software for game audio. The studio operates as a distributed team following its transition to fully remote working in 2020.

The company's roots lie in Simpson's early web gaming projects, including Apex Web Gaming in 2003, Venetopia in 2005 and PokerRPG in 2007–2008. GoldFire Studios was formally founded and incorporated in June 2008, building on those earlier experiments with online games.

Multiplayer worlds and cross-platform development

Early releases included BC Wars, a browser MMORPG featuring prehistoric cavemen and dinosaurs, launched in 2009. The studio subsequently developed CasinoRPG, combining casino gameplay with a Vegas-themed tycoon city-builder and persistent multiplayer world. Following Kickstarter funding in 2013, the game launched on the web in 2014, reached iOS and Android in 2017, and arrived on Steam in 2018.

Its multiplayer catalog also includes Exocraft, an action-strategy space-mining MMO. The game launched for browsers in 2018, followed by Steam and mobile releases in 2019. Together, these projects reflect the studio's experience developing games across web, desktop and mobile platforms.

Narrative adventures

GoldFire expanded into narrative single-player games with Arctic Awakening, a first-person episodic survival-mystery adventure set in the Arctic. Developed over six years, it was released on September 18, 2025, for PC, Mac, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The project extends the studio's portfolio from persistent online worlds into interactive storytelling for computers and consoles.

Alongside its games, GoldFire develops and publishes howler.js, an open-source JavaScript audio framework originally created during the development of CasinoRPG. Its activities encompass game design, development, multiplatform publishing and interactive storytelling, with browser technology remaining an important part of its history.