Our History

The adventure
FireStudio

From the first spark of an idea to today's projects, relive the journey of FireStudio.

The first FireStudio's logo

December 2023

The first sparks of FireStudio

In the early days of FireStudio, everything started simply: Léonardo and Julien, students at the same institute, discovered a shared passion for coding. During a practical class, they created a small game in C. The experience was fun enough to spark a naive idea:

“What if we made video games? That's also C, right?”

Upon arriving at INSA Lyon, Léonardo met new people eager to explore Unreal Engine. Driven by his enthusiasm, a small team naturally formed around him.

The name FireStudio came naturally: it stems from Léonardo's personal universe, as he has always loved the element of fire.

“What if we made video games? That's also C, right?”

Léonardo & Julien

Concept art for the character Slash and the Henell Logo.

06/01/24 - 01/07/2025

First ideas

The studio's first real concept was Fatality, a multiplayer project imagined by Leonardo. The idea was ambitious, but the team had no prior experience with game engines. Faced with the technical workload, the project was logically set aside.

The second concept was born from an absurd sketch found in Leonardo's notebook: chickens with arms fighting foxes. The quirky idea made Chloé and Enora laugh, and immediately won over the rest of the team. The project became Henell (a contraction of "Hen" and "Hell").

Everyone gets organized and produces a Game Design Document, prototypes on Unreal Engine, even going so far as to apply to the Indie Game Lyon. However, despite the motivation, the development proves to be too complex for a first project. Henell is put on hold, but all the good ideas are kept.

By joining the INSA Lyon entrepreneurship support program in parallel, FireStudio evolved its approach. The team learned to structure its ideas and to conceive the creation of a video game no longer just out of passion, but as a product with an identity, a message, and a realistic ambition.

“The idea made the whole team laugh… so why not make people other than us laugh?”

Leonardo

The three Rs: Redesign, Revamp, and Reorganization

Some of the FireStudio team members.

11/25/24 - 01/22/25

The three Rs: Redesign, Revamp, and Reorganization

After a year of existence, FireStudio had accumulated concepts and prototypes, but still had no finalized game. The team then decided to change its strategy by focusing on building an identity and a community even before releasing a title.

The studio developed its own visual universe with a new logo, the creation of the Flammy mascot, the launch of a website, and merchandise. This building phase allowed the group to stabilize, clarify everyone's roles, and refine its overall vision.

Through these advancements, the student project transformed into a true collective. Despite the paused games, the shared hours of work brought the members closer together. FireStudio now represents much more than a simple desire to create video games: it is a united team, whose motivation remains intact for the future.

“It's very cliché, but FireStudio… is more than the desire to create video games.”

Chloé

Obviously, this is one of our wallpapers!

May 2025

The Flammy explosion

Initially, Flammy was a simple character drawn by a friend, which Chloé tweaked to integrate into the FireStudio logo. The idea took on a new dimension on Discord when Leonardo suggested turning the mascot into custom emojis. Chloé drew a few, then dozens more in response to the general enthusiasm.

The mascot quickly materialized in the form of badges and hoodies, even attracting orders from outside the team. On the studio's community server, suggestions for new expressions kept pouring in. Variations of Flammy multiplied and eventually ended up printed in sticker packs, permanently anchoring the little character in the group's identity.

The universe expanded even as a joke: Matthieu invented "WaterStudio", a fictional rival studio represented by the mascot Droppy. He even coded a hidden mini-game on the website, unlockable by typing "firestudio" on any page, where Flammy has to dodge a rain of Droppys. This easter egg is now directly accessible from the mini-games page.

“I think the day the Flammys stop, FireStudio stops too haha.”

Léonardo

Isn't our snowman handsome?

08/25/2025 - 12/16/2025

Training Arc

The next step felt like a real "training arc" for FireStudio. As part of their studies, Leonardo and Chloé flew to the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC). Instead of choosing a relaxing destination, they decided to join an intensive video game development program.

Once there, the immersion was total. They met passionate professors and students, and Lucas Lablanche officially joined the team. The studio's universe even expanded to Quebec, with Flammy stickers distributed to their new friends.

Above all, this experience acted as a wake-up call. By getting hands-on with game engines, the team realized the true scale of game creation. They clearly understood that their initial concepts were far too complex for their skill level at the time.

Far from being a failure, stepping back marked a decisive turning point. FireStudio was no longer just a motivated student group with good ideas: it was now a trained, structured team, truly capable of designing a game from A to Z.

“You only realize the size of a project when you get your hands dirty.”

Leonardo

To be continued...

The adventure continues, and who knows what the next chapter has in store for us!

The adventureFireStudio

The first sparks of FireStudio

First ideas

The three Rs: Redesign, Revamp, and Reorganization

The Flammy explosion

Training Arc

To be continued...

The first sparks of FireStudio

First ideas

The three Rs: Redesign, Revamp, and Reorganization

The Flammy explosion

Training Arc

The adventure
FireStudio