Wildfire: Porting The Physics-Driven Stealth Sim

Wildfire, a physics-driven stealth game by Sneaky Bastards, ported to PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch by Sickhead Games

Title: Wildfire
Release Date: 2020
Developer: Sneaky Bastards
Publisher: Humble Games
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Engine: GameMaker

Wildfire is a 2D stealth platformer from Australian studio Sneaky Bastards, funded through Kickstarter and published by Humble Games. You play a character branded a witch in a superstitious world, using elemental powers to start fires, freeze water, and move earth to outsmart enemies and rescue captive villagers. What sets Wildfire apart isn’t the stealth itself, it’s the reactive environment. Fire spreads. Ice blocks movement. Earth shifts underfoot. Every level is a dynamic system, not a static puzzle.

That systemic design was also the hard part. In our further collaboration with Humble Games, the challenge was that GameMaker is single-threaded and can struggle with logic-heavy titles. Wildfire’s simulation for spreading fire, water, and ice ran fine on PC but strained console hardware, especially Switch. We worked closely with the Sneaky Bastards team to optimize both the AI logic and the simulation code so the full experience fit within each platform’s budget, with no cuts to the systems that make the game what it is.

The PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch versions launched simultaneously about six months after the PC release.


Sickhead Games is the leading game porting studio, bringing Unity, Unreal, Godot, and custom engine titles to console and handheld including PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS. From codebase assessment to post-launch support, we're trusted by solo indies and major publishers alike, including Humble Games, Sony Interactive, Nintendo, Annapurna, Good Games, ConcernedApe, MegaCrit, 17-Bit, Maddy Makes Games, Zachtronics, Keen Software House, Thomas Happ, Pocketwatch Games, EXOK, Young Horses, Taito, Jaleco, and Microsoft. We've shipped over 100 releases, among them Stardew Valley, Slay the Spire, Axiom Verge, Space Engineers, and Celeste. We specialize in bringing retro masterpieces, indie darlings, and PC classics to modern audiences like Grandia, Enclave, and Jaleco Sports titles.