I WROTE A VIDEO GAME! And as of today, it is out in the world. I couldn’t be more proud of the game, and the entire team that came together to make it happen.
If you haven’t heard of Pekoe yet, it’s a cozy tea-making simulator that takes place in a town of cats. You can make tea for the cats, befurriend them, and upgrade the town and your teahouse! It’s purrfect for fans of Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley.
Pekoe has been in development for five years, a passion project led by Saffron Aurora, who brought me on board to the project almost two years ago now. She reached out to me to ask if I knew any writers who were Toronto-based, really into cats, and knowledgable about tea. I was like, “This is me. You’re describing me…” and I went ahead and formally applied for the role. Since we’re here, you know that I got the job and it was exhilarating and terrifying.
I’d made it into the final round of interviews at several games studios over the years, but would inevitably lose out due to a lack of experience. The feedback was always, “We love you and your writing, but we want to go with the candidate who has experience…” which is understandable. So when this opportunity came along, I was sure to not squander it. Which is why it was exciting but also scary! I really wanted to do the best job possible with this game and didn’t want to let our team down.
Thankfully our small (but mighty!) team was so welcoming, patient, kind, and helpful at every step of the way. I didn’t know all the terminology or the software but I was more than willing to learn…so I did. But not without the knowledge and time of Justin Park, Len Predko, and of course, Saffron. They had so many of their own tasks to do but always took the time to help, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully convey how much that has meant to me. And I now have my very first games writing credit as a LEAD WRITER! AHHH!
Our entire team was incredible! Truly. What an experience! I didn’t work with everyone directly, despite how small of a studio we are. But every moment we did spend together, I was in awe of the talent and passion that was brought to this game. If our game sounds up your alley, be sure to check it out over on Steam. It’s currently in Early Access, which means we’ll be updating it regularly with new content! Click below to get started. And THANK YOU ALL in advance, for giving it a chance.