🧡 June News: CCM2 UI Deep Dive + Summer Hype

🐈Hi friend, We hope you're doing well.🩷 June is in full swing (can you believe half a year has passed already?!), which means it's time for another newsletter about the development of Cat Cafe Manager 2: Big City Bliss!

Cat Cafe Manager 2 Big City Bliss

This month, we're shining a spotlight on a silent but key aspect of any good game: the User Interface. ✨

Let's get right into it!🤸

💖UI Deep Dive

A good UI (User Interface) often goes unnoticed, but funnily enough, that's exactly the goal. It's a very important aspect of game development that ensures you can navigate the game with ease and without thinking twice.

Artist and UI specialist Esmeé has worked hard to make the UI in Cat Cafe Manager 2: Big City Bliss both as intuitive and as cute as possible.🐱 She's been refining the menus, buttons, and other on-screen elements that will help you run your cat cafe without a scratch!🐾 I asked her to tell us a little about the process.

Take it away, Esmeé:

~~ 🎤 My main focus this year has been creating the game's User Interface (UI).

If you've played management games before, you've probably noticed that they're filled with menus, windows, buttons, and information panels. Whether you're preparing resources, serving customers, or managing your café, the game is constantly communicating information to the player. 🍰

A big part of UI design is deciding what information to show, when to show it, and how to present it in a way that feels intuitive and enjoyable to use. One example is the "Plating Station UI", which we recently redesigned. 🍽️

In an earlier stage of development, players had to walk up to the station and open a full-screen menu to select a prepared dish.🥨 While functional, it could feel a little cumbersome. We've now changed it so the UI appears directly above the player's character (see image below). Players can quickly cycle through their available dishes and make a selection without leaving the game view, making the interaction feel faster and more playful. 🧶

Steam post image<-Latest Plating Station / Old Plating Station UI->

Another fun example is the"Cooking Recipes UI":

When designing a new feature, we often start with a wireframe created by Creative Director Rick. A wireframe is essentially a rough sketch that focuses on layout and functionality rather than visuals.

Think of it as the skeleton of the design 🦴. Using simple shapes and colors, it helps communicate the features and overall vision for the screen before any detailed artwork is created. 🖼️

Steam post imageBare Bones Cooking UI Wireframe

Using Rick's wireframe as a foundation, I got to work and expanded on the design. Check out the result in the GIF further below ⭐👇.

One of my goals was to maintain consistency with the rest of the game's interface. To achieve this, I reused elements and colors from existing screens that already feel familiar to players, such as the Shop UI. This includes the overall window layout, tabs, scroll bars, and item slots. Reusing these familiar elements helps make the new menus easier for players to instinctively navigate. 🩷

My favorite new element is the recipe book panel on the left side! Its paper-like appearance gives the menu a more playful and thematic feel while still fitting naturally alongside the rest of the UI:

Steam post image✨Cooking UI, Cat Cafe Manager-fied!✨

Of course, designing a menu isn't just about how it appears in perfect circumstances. We also need to consider how it behaves in different situations. 🤔

For example, what should happen when a player doesn't have enough ingredients to cook a recipe? 🙅 Or when an appliance is already occupied? 🍳 Buttons, icons, and other visual cues need to clearly communicate these states so players always understand what's happening.

Steam post imageUI Cooking Information

The Cooking UI isn't something that can be considered "finished" yet. UI design is an iterative process. Even after all the artwork has been created, implemented, and fully integrated into the game, we’ll continue refining it based on playtesting and player feedback. 🎮 💕 As we learn more about how people interact with the game, we may add new icons, adjust layouts, or tweak interactions to improve the overall experience. After all, no matter how good a design looks in art software, you never truly know how it feels until it's in the hands of players. 😊

❗Please note that none of the information or pictures provided are final, as we are still in the middle of game development.

🪺New Roost Games Developer Page

We’ve launched a ✨ brand-new ✨ Steam Developer Page! It's still a work in progress, but on this page, you can stay up to date and get notified on Steam announcements and releases from any of our games.

👉Follow the Roost Games Developer Page on Steam so you never miss anything Roostie-related!😻

🧑‍🍳Cozy Job Simulators Steam Event 2026

We know that, as a cat cafe manager, you might be faaar too busy planning ahead for your upcoming cat cafe to run any other businesses.😸😮‍💨 Then again, if you feel like you have some time to spare, we'd recommend taking a look at the Cozy Job Simulators Sale 2026 on Steam - an event we were selected to participate in with both our games!✨

It started on June 13 and features a whole bunch of cozy job sims. Browse the sale and discover a new cozy career!💖

🦁Something BIG is Coming Soon...

We've got some VERY EXCITING NEWS coming in the next month(s), and we honestly can't wait to share it with you, stay tuned for more information soon...👀🙀 HYPE!!🎉

🏳️‍🌈Happy Pride!!

Until then, we'd like to wish you an amazing Pride Month!🌈

To celebrate the occasion, Bonner submitted this old picture of himself and the love of his life. Yes, I know, he did so last year as well. But as it turns out, he thinks they both look handsome as heck on this photo. And you know what? Good for him.😌

Plus, let's be so real here... It's no surprise Gavin fell for those luscious locks and friendly pirate vibes all those years ago.⚓

Steam post image Now That's a Proper Catch of the Day😍

🫶Games We Love

Solarpunk🍃

Our friends at Cyberwave and RokaPlay released their game Solarpunk on Steam last week!

Solarpunk is a survival game in a technically advanced world of floating islands. Alone or together with your friends, you can construct buildings, grow food, craft gadgets and hop on your airship to explore distant islands in the sky. Have a look on their Steam page and jump right in!

Solarpunk

Haunted Cleaner 👻🧼

We also want to shout out the Steam announcement of the cozy cleaning game Haunted Cleaner by our friends at HeadKino Games!🧹

Haunted Cleaner is a relaxing, light puzzle and narrative game about tidying up and decorating the homes of the deceased. Play as a psychic cleaner, uncover the stories left behind and help lingering ghosts find peace. Remember, every place tells a story, you just need to listen. Wishlist Haunted Cleaner on Steam today!👻

Haunted Cleaner

💜 Until our next newsletter, please follow us on our platforms (BlueSky, Instagram, Reddit and TikTok), join our Discord server, and wishlist Cat Cafe Manager 2: Big City Bliss on Steam if you haven't already.🫶

Cat Cafe Manager 2 Big City Bliss

Thank you so much for reading this update, and as always...

Let's talk soon!

• Claire

(and the rest of Roost Games 🪺)

Connect with us:

💜 Discord

💙 BlueSky

❤️ Instagram

🧡 Reddit

💛 TikTok

💚 Newsletter

"Blimey, this attic is starting to feel like some kind of lost museum. I found another artefact hidden in a dark corner. Bonner suggested smashing the golden lock with a hammer because it wouldn't open, but I talked him out of it. What a waste that would be!

-G"