Burnout is too common in the games industry, and I fear it may get worse as developers cling to any job they can find. Wanderstop is a narrative-driven tea shop management game inspired by one developer’s tale of burnout and healing. It follows Alta, a fallen fighter, as she manages in tea shop in a magical forest. And she does not want to be there! Originally announced during Summer Game Fest 2024, Wanderstop will be released for PC and PlayStation in March 2025.
Alta does not want to be a tea maker. She does not want to be there at all. If it were up to her, the tea shop would be nothing but a brief, painful memory. She needs to grow and harvest ingredients, then mix them in an odd tea-making contraption. She will learn about her travellers passing through the forest while serving them their ideal tea.
That leads to why she wants this experience to be brief. She’ll never make it as a tea shop manager. She’s a champion warrior, why should she become a docile shopkeeper? She is capable of way more than that!
Wanderstop is the inaugural game from developer Ivy Road. It is inspired by Creative Director Davey Wreden’s personal story of burnout, expressed through protagonist Alta. The new launch date announcement trailer reflects on this journey.
“Wanderstop’s peaceful gameplay was borne out from a lot of inner stress I was experiencing, and the coziness turned out to be an interesting creative restraint as I thought more about a character who was also struggling with hopelessness,” says Wreden in a press release. “Healing from burnout and finding inner calm is a difficult, messy process. My hope is that Alta’s story can help players reflect on their own paths, and find some glimmer of hope and rest that everyone needs more of in their lives.”
Developed by Ivy Road and published by Annapurna Interactive, Wanderstop will be released for PC via Steam and PlayStation 5 on March 11, 2025.
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