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Wanderstop 2025
Wanderstop is a 2025 cozy video game developed by Ivy Road and published by Annapurna Interactive. It was written and directed by Davey Wreden, composed by C418, and edited by Karla Zimonja. The game features a former warrior named Alta who seeks healing after traumatic combat experiences. She works alongside Boro at a tea shop, aiming to recover through daily routines and interactions. Players engage in tea brewing and farming systems, planting seeds on a hex grid to grow resources used in the tea-making process. The shop's customers and environment evolve as the story unfolds.
Conceptualization for Wanderstop began in 2016 after both C418 and Wreden had ideas for a video game by 2015. Actual development started around 2018, with the project taking more than nine years to complete. It was built using Unreal Engine and Blueprints visual scripting software for no-code development. Initially intended as a simple cozy game, the focus shifted toward trauma themes when Zimonja joined the team. Wreden incorporated his own sense of burnout from earlier projects like The Stanley Parable and The Beginner's Guide into the narrative. Artwork draws influences from Impressionist and Art Nouveau styles, common in other cozy games. C418’s musical score dynamically responds to player actions.
Wanderstop launched on March 11, 2025 for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S. Critics praised its characters, world design, narrative, and music, although gameplay received mixed reviews. The title appeared on multiple year-end best lists for 2025 and earned nominations at the Golden Joystick Awards and the Game Awards 2025. After release, Wreden expressed uncertainty about continuing in game development, while C418 remained open to future collaborations with Ivy Road. Despite plans for a project titled Engine Angel, the studio announced its closure on March 31, 2026 due to insufficient funding.
Crew
- Director
- Davey Wreden
- Designer
- Steven Margolin
- Programmer
- Andrew Nguyen
- Artist
- Nat F, Temitope Olujobi
- Writer
- Davey Wreden, Karla Zimonja
- Producer
- Patrick McDermott
- Music
- C418
Details
- Developer
- Ivy Road
- Publisher
- Annapurna Interactive
- Platforms
- PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
- Modes
- Single-player
- Engine
- Unreal Engine
