Cat in Hat team is seeking 84 thousand dollars to create an MVP for the free-to-play game Cuisine Chronicles: Restaurant Tycoon about world cuisines
Indie developers continue to pitch their projects on our pages. Today, we’re sharing the story of Cat in Hat, a team developing a mobile free-to-play cooking game.
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Yaroslav Glevera, co-founder of Cat in Hat, told us about Cuisine Chronicles: Restaurant Tycoon.
Yaroslav Glevera
About the Team
We are Cat in Hat, a young indie studio, established at the end of 2023. The initial team was formed by Yaroslav Glevera with the participation of Natalia Vaganova.
Currently, our team has just over 10 members. Some are actively involved in development, while others work on a project basis, joining as needed.
We combine personal capital and team enthusiasm: key expenses are covered by the founders, and the flexible participation format of specialists allows us to use resources optimally at this stage.
Until August 2024, we worked on another game purely out of enthusiasm. As a result, the project was frozen, and we began creating Cuisine Chronicles, investing more time and resources.
Recently, at the MyIndie Lvl5 jam, we created a short horror-tactics game, Itersectio, showcasing our team's creative potential.
Itersectio
The team's specialists have experience:
- in development on Unity;
- in creating free-to-play games for mobile platforms.
We have gained experience in building core and meta-mechanics, LiveOps, and hybrid monetization.
About the Project
Cuisine Chronicles: Restaurant Tycoon is a mid-core free-to-play restaurant simulator with idle and tycoon elements. Deep team management mechanics and Region Cuisine progression provide a unique experience.
Players assign staff to zones, create menus, and develop regional cuisines: Italian, Japanese, French, Chinese, or Argentinean.
Intuitive control, restaurant customization, and regular thematic events ensure high engagement and long-term retention, forming the basis for stable monetization through hybrid mechanics.
We are developing the game on Unity:
- for mobile platforms (Android, iOS);
- for PC.
The release is planned for late 2026 to early 2027 (subject to successful funding).
Currently, the project is at the pre-alpha stage.
Key systems are already implemented in the game, and we are documenting the core and meta-mechanics finalized over the last few months to continue active development and create an early MVP version.
About the Gameplay/Mechanics
The player manages a restaurant and team of employees: assigns roles, zones, and tasks, creates menus, and oversees all processes—from cooking to service.
Cooking is implemented as a simulator: ingredients and action sequences are crucial. Meanwhile, control remains simple and intuitive, allowing focus on strategy.
Employees are not faceless NPCs but heroes with their own character, strengths, and perks. The success of the restaurant depends on how you form the team and assign roles.
The main progression feature is Region Cuisine. You can develop various cuisines (Japanese, Italian, Chinese, French, Argentinean) and create a unique establishment style. Extensive customization options complement this—from the interior to the menu.
Regular events and thematic updates will keep players engaged, forming the long-term foundation of a free-to-play project. In the future, we plan to add social mechanics—restaurant rankings, in-game competitions, and cooperative events, which will enhance engagement and serve as an additional driver for retention.
About the Target Audience
We have two main audiences.
The first segment
Players aged 18-30 who appreciate deep mid-core gameplay with customization, upgrading, and mechanic variety. They value short game sessions (~8 minutes), clear progression, and social and competitive elements.
The second segment
Players aged 35-45 who prefer a relaxed gaming experience with a focus on planning, gradual development, and exploring content without a strong focus on timers and aggressive monetization.
The younger audience brings activity and fast pacing, while the older audience provides stability and loyalty. Together, they create a healthy balance for LiveOps and monetization.
Our main target markets are North America, Europe, and Asia. Here, the simulator genre consistently shows a high level of engagement, and customization and collection mechanics are well-received by the local audience.
About the Business Model
The hybrid monetization model includes gacha, cosmetic items, bundles, and season passes. This approach helps maintain engagement while ensuring sustainable revenue.
We build a long-term LiveOps on this foundation, allowing the project to thrive and grow.
We evaluated the business model potential by analyzing successful titles in the genre, such as Shop Titans and Cats & Soup. These projects demonstrate the demand for hybrid monetization and long-term LiveOps.
We also plan to develop our IP: based on the Cuisine Chronicles setting and content, we intend to release related games in other genres. These projects will require fewer resources and shorter development times, creating additional income and increasing brand recognition.
Estimated revenue: if the planned metrics are achieved, the project can generate about $191,000 per month or $2.3 million per year (considering server expenses and user acquisition costs).
These calculations reflect the monetization mechanisms potential and LiveOps strategy.
About the Metrics
Our priority is to build strong retention (D30 and D90) and a stable ARPU. We will reach these metrics in stages with the finished product.
In the near term, key metrics will be D1 and D7 retention and feedback from initial sessions with a pilot focus group (~100 people). This will allow us to test the gameplay and adjust the game based on built-in analytics and events.
Long-term project targets:
- Android: 5,000 DAU with an ARPU of $0.57;
- iOS: 3,000 DAU with an ARPU of $1.9.
These targets are formed based on analysis of reference games and market data. They are considered working hypotheses, allowing the team to plan development and adjust strategy until actual testing is conducted.
Who Are We Looking For?
We are looking for an investor for the first seed round, seeking to raise $85,000 for MVP implementation. This amount is calculated based on planned expenses for key development areas and organizational tasks.
The total project budget is $513,000, including the complete game creation cycle and marketing.
At this stage, we are preparing documentation, implementing core mechanics and a basic monetization system, creating UI for actions, windows, and notifications, as well as concept art. A separate priority will be the studio's legal setup — we are allocating part of the budget to establish a transparent structure for long-term partnerships.
Investments will allow the project to reach the MVP stage, conduct closed tests, and validate key monetization and retention hypotheses. Partners will have the opportunity to join the project at an early stage with a transparent roadmap and high growth potential.
Moreover, we have several funding scenarios planned, providing the partner flexibility in choosing the collaboration format.
