During Covid, as the world outside became more uncertain, people gravitated towards games like Animal Crossing, where you can build your own environment.
So-called cosy games offer a chance for gamers to forget the world around them and run a farm or business, along with growing the community around them.
For software developer Eoghan Moylan from Connemara, he has had the idea of an Irish cosy game knocking around for a while now.
“I had written this short story about the last independent bakery in Dublin. When I was brainstorming different game ideas that one popped into my head," he said.
Even though Ireland has more of a deli culture than a cafe one, he decided to go with the idea of The Corner Cafe, because it is more limited what you can get in a deli.
With that in mind, he set up Rún Stiúideo to bring the idea to life.
Set in Galway City and County in the year 2160, The Corner Cafe depicts a dystopian future where corporations own close to everything, and your little cafe is the last bastion of independence.
Your day is split between morning, afternoon and nighttime. You serve customers during the day and go out into the city, meeting the locals at night.
What is unique about the game is how Irish folklore and mythology are woven into this retro-futuristic world.
Tír na nÓg
Developer Rún Stiúideo aims to promote Irish culture to a wider audience through games. "When you look at the folklore, I was really inspired by The Witcher, which took Polish folklore and made it internationally known," he said.
Another influence was Wolf Among Us, a narrative game based on the comic book series Fables. It takes established characters such as Snow White, the Big Bad Wolf, and Cinderella, and reinterprets them in a modern setting.
When it comes to Irish mythology, the likes of Oisin from Tír na nÓg will appear in the game. Eoghan said, "He will be in the game riding on a hover scooter," once again showing the mixing of the ancient with the futuristic.
The Tuatha Dé Danann will also appear in the game, who are a supernatural race in Irish mythology.
“So you have the traditional elements in there, and we are thinking of adding ciseog (small basket) as well.”
There are also clear nods to modern Irish pop culture. One of the quests is titled "The money was just resting in my account” referencing a quote from former taoiseach, Bertie Ahern.
Being from the Gaeltacht, Moylan also thought it was important to add some cúpla focal in as well.
"There will be Irish mixed into the dialogue, such as someone saying “Ah, that is seafóid or mar dhea.”
“We also want to have something that will give people who are non-Irish an idea of what the words mean.”
@runstiuideo Well shams! We have noticed a few new followers lately so put together a little recap for all you nice folks on The Corner Cafe #pixelart #indiedev #cozygames #irish #galway ♬ original sound - Rún Stiúideo
Chicken fillet roll
Seeing as you run a cafe, it allows him to explore Irish food culture, which of course means you can make a chicken fillet roll.
“I really want it to be in the game where you can follow the recipe to make soda bread, for example.
“Gameplay-wise wise it is about making coffee, making rolls and doing your prep. It is also about going out and exploring the city, trying to help those in your local community."
The game is about creating your own oasis in a dystopian future.
The game has a community health system, where the more you go out to the city and help people, the more upgrades you get for your cafe.
While for the most part, there has been a positive reception to playing the game, for some, it brought back some bad memories.
“I was demoing the game at a summit last year, and one person went up and started playing it. When he started making the rolls, he got PTSD because he used to work at Centra.”
“He said, 'Other people will like this game, but sorry, I can’t play it'.”
While making chicken fillet rolls and speaking to the locals can be a fun experience, Eoghan feels there is a deeper meaning to why cozy games connect with people.
Sense of community
“The reason farming games like Stardew Valley have become popular is that people feel like they are disconnected from the product they are making.”
“What we are trying to do is see that your contributions do actually amount to something," he said.
Despite being based in rural Galway, he has been able to find a sense of community.
“At first, I did feel like I was working in a silo and quite isolated. After a while, when I got introduced to other developers and I felt more connected.”
“You have Enigma Studios or Romero Games, there is a little community hub. There is a really lovely bubble of game developers in Galway.”
He currently works out of the CREW (Creative Enterprise West) building, a co-working space on the outskirts of the city where animation studios, film studios and game developers work from.
“We are a small studio, I am the developer, and my partner does the marketing. There is so much potential in Ireland, though. There is a lot of momentum happening with the gaming industry."
As the game is still in development, Rún Stiúideo has used TikTok to show off some gameplay and the Irish elements that stick out.
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with people being delighted to see the Irishness on display.
“You can tell a real, nuanced story in games. We want to avoid any of the paddy whackery and stereotypes. Irish people genuinely do eat chicken fillet rolls, so it is not really a stereotype.”
While there is no main story as such, there are individual threads for each of the characters you meet in the world.
“One of the stories is about an artist who takes cybernetic implants and is let go by her company, and they will not pay for the implants.”
“Because of that, she cannot go beyond a certain area of the map. So, it is up to you to help her.”
“Your quest is to help her gather inspiration for her art. You will come back to her, and she will reward you with her paintings, which you can hang up in the store.”
There is also an element of player choice. The quest about the money resting in the accounts allows you to choose whether to help a friend who saw something they should not have at their job or rat her out for money.
While the game is set for release on PC in 2026, there have been some snags. "The timeline for the game is good, but the administrative issues are what are holding us back.
The main online storefront for games on PC is Steam, and they had some issues getting their page up and running.
Hopefully, once the problems are resolved, gamers will be able to make chicken fillet rolls and explore a futuristic Galway for themselves.
