Critter Café News

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!


Join our cosy community by Wishlisting Critter Café, and joining us on Discord, TikTok, Instagram and Twitter.

We were lucky enough to have cosy content creator Eeowna visit us at Sumo Newcastle to take a closer look at our upcoming wholesome title Critter Café. As well as getting a sneak preview of the game, she chatted to some of our developers to find out what their favourite Critters are.

Get a first look at the gameplay in this video:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We're excited for you to experience and explore the world of Critter Café for yourself later this year. A demo will be available as part of Steam Next Fest on 14-21 October, giving players a chance to try the game ahead of launch and start saving some Critters.

Join our cozy community!

Follow Critter Café on:
Twitter
Instagram
Tiktok

And join our community on Discord for wholesome vibes and sneak peeks.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Hey there everyone,

We're really excited to give folks the first chance to experience Critter Café, via a demo as part of Steam Next Fest beginning on October 14!

Ahead of its launch on November 26, get a first taste of our cosy world, where you'll rescue wonderful critters, build a café together, and uncover magical secrets around you. We can't wait to see what you think of the demo! Hit the blue 'Set a reminder' button on this page to make sure you don't miss it.

Look out for more information on the demo here, and on the Secret Mode Discord server, ahead of Steam Next Fest kicking off on October 14. Let us know if you have any questions, and we'll do our best to answer :)

Creature raising, café management game Critter Café will be opening its doors from 26 November 2024 on PC and Nintendo Switch™.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The release date was announced as part of today's Convergence Games Showcase, giving viewers a further glimpse into the life of a Critter Café manager.


But that's not all! A demo will be available as part of Steam Next Fest on 14-21 October, giving players a trial run at managing their café and saving some Critters. Mogbert is waiting for you!


Join our cozy community!

Follow Critter Café on:
Twitter
Instagram
Tiktok

And join our community on Discord for wholesome vibes and sneak peeks.

We look forward to welcoming you!

What's a Critter Café without its Critters? If you've watched our announcement trailer, you'll have seen a few of these adorable fantasy creatures already, either waiting to be rescued or helping around the café. Here, we're going to be looking at a few of them one by one, so you can get to know them a little better before you venture forth to save them.


Mogbert is one of the very first Critters you'll find in Critter Café. They're very small, very soft, and very round. They don't even have legs! How does Mogbert get around the café? By hopping, of course!



Wobbleneck looks adorable from the front with their floral features. And what's that on the back? Another flower! Who needs floral arrangements when you could have Wobbleneck walking around instead?




Fernitail is a four-footed fern with a fantastic little smile. With Fernitail and Wobbleneck wandering about, you should probably be careful where you put flowers – you might get confused about which one's a Critter and which one's a plant!




Two legs, no arms, can't lose – that's Wabblebill for you. Guests at the café can be very particular about the number of legs a Critter has, so when a two-legged fan comes in for a coffee, it's time for Wabblebill to shine.




Luvhen has a lot of love, and even more feathers. They even have a giant love heart on their chest! Their red feathers are certainly striking, but once they've built up enough trust with you, maybe they'll be ready to show off some new colours?



There are 35 different Critters to meet in Critter Café – who's your favourite so far?

Follow Critter Café on:
Twitter Instagram Tiktok

And join our community on Discord for wholesome vibes and sneak peeks.

We look forward to welcoming you!