Did you know that Critter Café started out as a Game Jam project?
It all started in the summer of 2022, when development studio Sumo Newcastle held an internal Game Jam alongside publisher Secret Mode.
The brief was to create a game pitch for a title that would fit into Secret Mode’s catalogue, and gameplay programmer Eleanor Gregory (she/her) entered with a wholesome idea based on: ‘A cat café for fantasy animals’.
Here is the very first design document she created for the project:
Using this as a template, Eleanor then began bringing the idea to life as a playable demo during the Game Jam. The original demo started out as a first-person experience inside Unreal:
Say hello to the original design for Catcus!
The entry wowed the jury, and everyone at Secret Mode agreed that the world needed to experience Critter Café.
After being crowned the winner, Eleanor Gregory joined a small team to start exploring the concept as a full game, and it’s from this point onwards that Critter Café began to take shape as the game you now know and love.
As you can see from our recent trailer, Eleanor's wonderful idea of a cosy, fantastic world has come on so much, and we can't wait for you experience the end result, when Critter Café launches on November 26. You don't even have to wait that long for a taste of the experience, as a demo for the game will be available as part of Steam Next Fest, from October 14!
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