No Man's Sky studio has an adorable new Pixar-like side project called The Last Campfire

The studio behind No Man's Sky is making a new game, but that doesn't mean it's moving on from its procedurally generated universe. Hello Games announced The Last Campfire at The Game Awards on Thursday, calling the new project a "Hello Games Short" in contrast to bigger endeavors like No Man's Sky. The Last Campfire is as a mysterious adventure across a picturesque (yet puzzling) wilderness filled with ruins and fellow travelers.

"A while ago the creatives behind LostWinds, Steven [Burgess] and Chris [Symonds], joined us and The Last Campfire is their baby. This is a big moment for them, and we're excited to be able to share in it," studio founder and extremely photoshoppable face Sean Murray said in an announcement message.

"We call it a Hello Games Short. Like Pixar shorts it’s a way to foster creativity and new voices in the studio. We started by making Joe Danger, before No Man's Sky, and we want to pay forward our success to give others the opportunity to do the same."

LostWinds and LostWinds 2: Winter of the Melodias were early WiiWare favorites in 2008 and 2009, back when it was still strange and new for console games to be distributed solely through digital storefronts. The LostWinds games (which have since also received iOS and PC ports) let players help a little boy explore the world with the power of wind, using their pointer to send powerful gusts of winds around picturesque platforming environments. The Last Campfire seems to follow in its colorfully minimalist footsteps, while favoring a more measured exploration playstyle.

Hello Games didn't reveal when it will release The Lost Campfire, or what platforms (besides PC) it will hit. I love when studios known for one big project can flip the script with smaller, creative endeavors, so I'm looking forward to seeing more of these Hello Games Shorts.

See what else is on the horizon with our list of new games of 2019 and beyond.