Hey friends!Today’s a great day because we’ve done a ton of work on the game and want to share the results with you. First, you might’ve already seen the updated Steam store page design. What do you think? Second, we’ve polished and added a bunch of stuff to Tiny Shop, so we’re launching an official open playtest right now!Anyone can jump in, just hit that special button on the Steam page:
Third: to celebrate, we made a brand new trailer:
Also, we’d really love to see your little shops from the game, so…
Check the pinned post on X or Discord for all the details.
More characters live around your shop now, and you don’t just interact with them. You actually take part in their lives. By chatting with locals, you’ll get new furniture items or goods at a discount.For example, someone might leave a plant with you for a while and ask you to take care of it. Think you can handle that responsibility? ;)
Your actions now have a much bigger impact on how the town grows and how locals live. A clean town is nicer to walk around in, and the town hall is more eager to throw festivals. Locals might even start a big renovation – because your efforts to make your shop and its surroundings cozy can be pretty motivating!
The townsfolk look better too. Lots of models got reworked to be unique and pleasing to the eye. More variety in visitor outfits, and more furniture items to decorate with.Pets got an upgrade too – now you can give your cat or dog the wildest fur patterns, any color you like, so your furry friend matches your style. And the “skeleton” Halloween pattern makes a great thematic addition to your shop’s vibe.Also, townsfolk feel more alive when they visit the shop. Now they might listen to music, read, scroll their phone, and more – all thanks to new animations.Keep in mind the game is still a work in progress, so lots more cool stuff is coming before release. And if you have any suggestions or ideas, just send them to us via the feedback form.
More items you can put up for sale. Themed sets that you can unlock with “hearts” have appeared, so shop customization is way more varied now.It’s also easier and more convenient to open the sets you want. Before, progression was pretty linear – now you can choose which items you like best and spend both hearts and coins on them.
The interface is clearer and nicer now. In-game features feel smoother, and overall it’s less "dry". New elements make progression and learning easier.For example, the game now has a daily and weekly task checklist. You can always see goals you might want to complete (but they’re totally optional for shop progression). We still believe you should run your shop at your own comfortable pace. Tasks are just a fun extra.
And of course, the game got lots of technical fixes and tweaks. Plus, our team updated the save system. But if you run into any technical trouble, please let us know!P.S. Work on the game continues. Over the next few weeks, we’ll focus on gathering feedback and planning ahead – so be sure to share your playtest impressions.Join the discussion right here in the comments, ask anything, or hit us up on social media.
– ScoreboardGames & Spaghetti Cat teams