Timberline Studio

Timberline Studio is an independent video game developer based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Founded in 2018 by Lindsey Rostal and Nathan Fulton, the studio develops original, narrative-focused games for PC and consoles. Its work combines character writing, worldbuilding and emergent storytelling with mechanics drawn from different genres, giving players stories shaped through both authored narrative and their own decisions.

The studio’s debut, The Red Lantern, follows a dog-sledding journey through the Alaskan wilderness. Released in October 2020 for PC and Nintendo Switch, it combines narrative survival, resource management and roguelite elements. Players navigate the wilderness while managing the needs of their sled team. The project established the studio’s interest in bringing character-led storytelling together with systems that produce unpredictable experiences.

Its second game, Beastro, extends that approach into a culinary fantasy adventure. Released in June 2026 for PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, the game combines cozy restaurant management with deckbuilding, trick-taking card battles and puppet theater animation. Its mix of cooking and combat reflects the studio’s broader emphasis on finding connections between seemingly different forms of play.

Development approach

Timberline’s capabilities span full-cycle game development, mechanics prototyping, narrative design, scriptwriting, voiceover direction, technical art, character modeling and animation. Its development experience includes Unity and Unreal Engine, supporting projects that bring together stylized visuals, expressive characters and interconnected gameplay systems.

The company operates with a distributed team anchored by its Los Angeles home base. Its production model connects developers across several countries while maintaining a shared focus on original games and inclusive storytelling.

In September 2021, Timberline joined six other independent development studios to co-found Kepler Interactive, a developer-owned publishing collective. This arrangement provides shared publishing resources and international distribution support while Timberline retains its independent corporate identity, intellectual property ownership and operational leadership.