Overcooked Studio Unveils New Co-Op Game: Stage Fright

At The Game Awards 2024, Ghost Town Games took the stage to announce their latest venture, Stage Fright, a brand new cooperative gaming experience. Known for their wildly successful Overcooked series, this studio has promised gamers another exhilarating adventure. Stage Fright is currently in development for the PC, but Ghost Town Games hasn’t yet spilled the beans on a release date. Interestingly, the game will be published by Hello Games, the creators of No Man’s Sky.

Ghost Town Games is a small but talented indie studio, comprising three core members who join forces with other creatives when needed. They made a significant splash in 2016 with Overcooked, a game that quickly became a favorite among multiplayer enthusiasts. Building on that momentum, Overcooked 2 hit the shelves in 2018, serving up even more frantic kitchen antics. The remastered Overcooked! All You Can Eat broadened the fanbase, and since then, people have been eagerly awaiting what the studio will whip up next.

Announced at the prestigious Game Awards, Stage Fright is set to offer players a new kind of cooperative thrill. This game invites adventurers to embark on a quest filled with puzzles, immersive environments, and challenging escape rooms, all in the pursuit of uncovering an ancient secret. If the cooperative gameplay resembles Overcooked, you might want to brace yourself for some friendship-testing moments.

The heart of Stage Fright’s narrative follows the adventures of Drew, Blake, and Charlie. Players will be able to view the story from two vantage points, controlling any pair of these characters at a time. In a conversation with TheGamer, a representative from Hello Games revealed that Stage Fright will retain the chaotic fun that Overcooked was renowned for, bringing innovation to the table once again. Designed with dual-player interaction in mind, the game will support teamwork both online and in classic couch co-op mode.

One of the game’s standout features is its push for inclusivity, emphasizing teamwork and communication. Instead of relying heavily on fast reflexes, the game challenges players’ thinking skills. Where previous iterations of Overcooked were criticized for lacking accessibility options, Ghost Town Games has been proactive. They’ve introduced an assist mode in Overcooked: All You Can Eat, and Stage Fright looks set to continue this trend.

The representative from Hello Games hinted that more Stage Fright details will be released gradually throughout the year, suggesting a release that might be further out than fans would like. Nevertheless, devotees of Overcooked are likely thrilled by this announcement and will be keeping a keen eye out for more updates on Stage Fright.